Abia State Arrests 109-Year-Old Akara Seller for Breaking Sanitation Rules

The Abia State Government arrested a 109-year-old akara seller, Chidinma Eluwa, on Saturday. She was accused of breaking the state’s monthly sanitation rules.

Eluwa was caught frying her bean cakes during the sanitation period on Owerri Road. She was taken to the Sanitation Court along with 65 other people facing similar charges.

But the magistrate, O. C. Ibekwe, let her go on compassionate grounds. After her release, she promised to follow the state’s sanitation rules.

Out of the 66 people taken to court, seven were released due to health issues and being students. Nine others got community service sentences.

The state government has warned that it might enforce the sanitation rules more strictly. This follows a low turnout from residents during the monthly clean-up.

The Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Philemon Ogbonna, addressed the situation after the sanitation day. He was represented by Mrs. Happiness Akpulonu, the Head of Population Control and Environmental Health. They expressed concerns about the poor participation from residents.

Ogbonna said the lack of compliance was partly due to the sanitation exercise being suspended for several months. He noted that this led to large piles of rubbish, especially 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,” he stated.

Ogbonna also urged local government chairmen to rally residents for clean-up activities and improve supervision.

Kalu Mba-Nwoke, who chairs the House Committee on Environment and represents Ohafia South in the Abia State House of Assembly, also spoke. He linked the low participation to the three-month suspension of the sanitation exercise.

He encouraged residents to see cleanliness as a daily task, not just something to do on designated days. “Environmental sanitation must be continuous. Even without government directives, we should clean our surroundings because it is our duty,” he said.

Alhaji Yaro Danladi, the leader of the Northern Community in Abia and Chairman of the Northern Traditional Council for the South-South and South-East, spoke on Eket Street on Owerri Road. He emphasized the community’s support for the monthly sanitation exercise.

Danladi said community members took part in the clean-up to show their commitment to the government’s efforts for a cleaner environment and healthier society.