Abia sate government has restated her readiness to prosecute residents of the state for indiscriminate disposal of refuse.
Deputy General Manager in charge of Aba zone of the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu says his agency would henceforth prosecute residents caught dumping refuse at unauthorized places.
Addressing newsmen in Aba, Ikpeazu who lamented the indiscriminate disposal of refuse by some residents of the commercial city noted that such actions frustrate the commitment of his agency to provide a clean environment for Aba residents.
He warned people from neighboring states to stop smuggling in refuse into Aba and its environs, stressing that the state government will no longer condone such activities and added that Aba is not a dumping ground for domestic and industrial waste.
He also stated that the perpetrators of such acts would soon be charged to court to serve as deterrent to others.
“Some people dump refuse on Aba-Port Harcourt Expressway which prompted us to keep some of our staff on surveillance on the road to stop such activities.
“Our efforts paid off on Sunday, when we got information that some people have dumped refuse on the road and we quickly moved in and apprehended the truck conveying the refuse.
“However somebody, who claimed ownership of the waste, said he was conveying it to Calabar, Cross Rivers State, but dumped the refuse at Aba, because he had issues with officials of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC). We are calling on the people to be vigilant and protect the environment.”
He stated that the agency would report the matter to the state government, stressing that this is the second time such an act is being committed in the area.
“We are going to report this to Government; because this is the second time we would be experiencing people bringing in waste from other States into Abia, since I assumed office. We don’t understand why Abia should be on the receiving end of cruelty from people from other States and we condemn it.”
Ikpeazu who lauded Gov. Theodore Orji for his sustained support to the agency, expressed gladness that residents of Aba are becoming conscious of their environment as indiscriminate dumping of refuse id graduay becoming a thing of the past in the city.
