Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Abia State Government, in a bid to enforce its monthly environmental sanitation exercise, arrested a 109-year-old bean cake (akara) seller, Chidinma Eluwa, on Saturday, June 27, 2026, for allegedly frying akara during the designated clean-up period. The elderly woman, who operates her business along Owerri Road, was among 66 defaulters apprehended during the exercise, marking the first sanitation clean-up in three months. Eluwa was later arraigned before the Sanitation Court but was discharged on compassionate grounds by Magistrate O. C. Ibekwe, who granted her leniency due to her advanced age and her pledge to comply with future sanitation orders.
The arrests were part of a broader crackdown on residents who failed to observe the monthly sanitation exercise, which had been suspended for several months. The Abia State Government has warned that it may resort to stricter enforcement measures following low compliance by residents. The state's Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, represented by the Head of Population Control and Environmental Health, Mrs. Happiness Akpulonu, expressed frustration over the poor turnout, noting that the suspension of the exercise had led to significant waste accumulation, particularly at Orie Ugba Market and other major markets. "We were overwhelmed. My team could not clear all the refuse we were meant to clear. Residents in Umuahia especially respond better to enforcement than advice. We may have to stop advising them and start enforcing compliance," she said. Officials warned that the government may shift from advisory measures to more forceful enforcement, including the use of "brute force," to ensure compliance with environmental sanitation laws.
Of the 66 defaulters arrested, seven were discharged on health and student-related grounds, while nine were sentenced to community service. The Chairman of the House Committee on Environment and member representing Ohafia South State Constituency, Hon. Kalu Mba-Nwoke, urged residents to treat cleanliness as a daily responsibility rather than limiting it to government-declared sanitation days. "Environmental sanitation must be continuous. Even without government directives, we should clean our surroundings because it is our duty," he said. Meanwhile, the leader of the Northern Community in Abia State and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Council for the South-South and South-East, Alhaji Yaro Danladi, reaffirmed the community's support for the monthly sanitation exercise and commended Governor Alex Otti for his commitment to environmental sustainability.
The state government has indicated that it may intensify enforcement of the monthly sanitation exercise in response to persistent non-compliance by residents, following the exercise's suspension over the past three months. The Abia State Government, led by Governor Alex Otti, has faced growing public pressure to address waste management challenges in major commercial centres. The arrest of the 109-year-old akara seller has drawn mixed reactions from the public, with some criticising the government for what they perceive as excessive enforcement against vulnerable citizens, while others have defended the crackdown as necessary to restore environmental order. The government has assured residents that enforcement actions will be carried out with compassion, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable, while maintaining that environmental compliance is a shared responsibility.
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