During Saturday’s monthly sanitation exercise in Umuahia, the Abia State Environmental Mobile Court processed 64 individuals apprehended for flouting local environmental regulations. Authorities detained these residents between 7 am and 10 am for activities including unauthorized trading and loitering.
Presiding Magistrate O.C. Ibekwe delivered verdicts for the group at the Umuahia High Court complex. He convicted 52 offenders, ordering them to pay fines to the state. Nine others were released after demonstrating valid reasons for their presence, such as illness, exam attendance, or essential work obligations. The remaining three individuals received sentences involving community service.
Abia State Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, urged residents to back Governor Alex Otti’s sanitation programs. Represented by Permanent Secretary Ikechukwu Oriuwa, the Commissioner announced the upcoming launch of a Neighbourhood Environmental Watch. This program aims to curb illegal waste disposal and improve overall environmental hygiene throughout the state’s communities.
