The Abia State Government has arrested 86 sanitation offenders during its latest monthly environmental exercise, with authorities warning residents against disposing of waste in drainages and waterways.

Of those arrested, 71 were apprehended in the Umuahia area. The government said 24 people were subsequently discharged on health grounds and because they were students, while six others were ordered to perform community service in Umuahia.

In Aba, the Sanitary Mobile Court sitting in Obingwa Local Government Area and presided over by Mr Nnanna Kalu handled 15 cases. Four defendants were discharged on health grounds, while the remaining offenders were penalised under the state’s environmental laws.

Speaking to journalists in Umuahia after the exercise, the Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, warned residents against dumping refuse in drainage channels and waterways.

Ogbonna said anyone caught disposing of waste in drainages would face severe consequences, warning that such offenders “will pay through the nose”.

The commissioner linked recent flooding in parts of Abia to blocked drainage channels caused by indiscriminate waste disposal, particularly during periods of rainfall.

He said the Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), alongside other relevant government agencies, had continued working to keep drainage channels clear. However, he expressed concern that some residents still deliberately dump waste into waterways.

Ogbonna urged residents to participate fully in the three-hour monthly environmental sanitation exercise, stressing that maintaining a clean environment benefits residents and should not be viewed as the responsibility of government alone.

In Aba, Ogbonna was represented by the Officer in Charge of the Aba Zone, Mrs Amarachi Goodluck, who said traders across various markets had been educated on the need to support the sanitation exercise.

Goodluck said the level of compliance among Aba residents was encouraging and urged them to sustain the practice.

She, however, criticised traders who continued conducting business during the designated sanitation period, describing the practice as an act of sabotage against the administration of Governor Alex Otti.

She called on residents to comply with government environmental regulations, saying the policies were intended to improve living conditions across the state.

The commissioner’s representative also observed that some residents deliberately violated the sanitation requirements despite the directives and sensitisation efforts.