The Abia State Government on Saturday arrested 66 persons, including a 109-year-old akara seller, for allegedly violating the June monthly environmental sanitation exercise across the state.
The elderly woman, identified as Ma Chidinma Eluwa, who sells akara along Owerri Road, was among those apprehended during the exercise. However, she was later discharged without any fine after assuring authorities that she would comply with future sanitation directives.
According to the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, represented by the Head of Population Control and Environmental Health, Mrs. Happiness Akpulonu, seven of the arrested persons were discharged on health and student-related grounds, while nine others were assigned community service.
The commissioner expressed concern over the low level of compliance, warning that the government may adopt stricter enforcement measures if residents continue to ignore sanitation regulations.
Officials noted that the absence of sanitation exercises over the past three months had led to the accumulation of refuse in several markets, particularly Orie Ugba Market and other major commercial centres.
Chairman of the House Committee on Environment, Hon. Kalu Mba-Nwoke, urged residents to embrace cleanliness as a daily responsibility rather than limiting it to government-declared sanitation days.
Meanwhile, the Northern Community in Abia State reaffirmed its support for the exercise, commending Governor Alex Otti’s administration for promoting environmental sustainability and public health across the state.
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