Oluwatobi Adu 
UMUAHIA, Nigeria – The Abia State Government has intensified its environmental sanitation enforcement campaign, leading to the arrest of 66 residents and the conviction of 50 offenders during the monthly sanitation exercise in Umuahia.
The enforcement operation, carried out on Saturday by the state environmental task force, targeted residents accused of violating environmental sanitation regulations, including indiscriminate waste disposal and obstruction of drainage channels.
Speaking during the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philomen Ogbonna, warned residents against environmental practices that contribute to flooding, poor sanitation and disease outbreaks.
Represented by the Head of Department, Pollution Control and Environmental Health, Mrs. Happiness Akpulonu, the commissioner expressed concern over poor participation in the sanitation exercise and condemned the discovery of illegal refuse dumps, particularly at Orie Ugba Market.
“Residents must stop blocking gutters with garbage. Such practices expose communities to flooding and increase the risk of disease outbreaks,” he said.
Ogbonna directed sanitary inspectors to strengthen environmental monitoring and public sensitisation campaigns across both urban and rural communities to improve compliance with sanitation regulations.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Abia State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Kalu Mba Nwoke, urged the Umuahia Capital Development Authority to urgently clear blocked drainage channels along Owerri Road and Isi Gate to prevent flooding during the rainy season.
In the Ama Hausa area of Umuahia, the leader of the Hausa community, Yaro Danlandi, supervised drainage clearing activities and reaffirmed the community’s support for the environmental sanitation initiatives of Governor Alex Otti.
At the mobile court presided over by His Worship O.C. Ibekwe, seven suspects were discharged on health grounds and student status considerations, while nine offenders were sentenced to community service within Umuahia.
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