BREAKING: 109-YEAR-OLD AKARA SELLER ARRESTED DURING ABIA SANITATION EXERCISE, RELEASED BY COURT

 109-YEAR-OLD AKARA SELLER ARRESTED DURING ABIA SANITATION EXERCISE, RELEASED BY COURT

A 109-year-old woman identified as Chidinma Eluwa was reportedly arrested by officials of the Abia State Government for allegedly violating the state’s monthly environmental sanitation regulations while carrying out her business activities.

The elderly woman, said to be a bean cake (akara) seller, was apprehended on Saturday after she was found frying bean cakes during the state’s designated environmental sanitation exercise along Owerri Road in Abia State.

According to reports, Eluwa was subsequently taken before a sanitation court alongside 65 other individuals accused of violating the sanitation directive enforced across the state.

However, during court proceedings, Magistrate O.C. Ibekwe discharged the 109-year-old woman on compassionate grounds after considering her age and circumstances surrounding the case.

Following her release, the elderly trader reportedly pledged to comply with future environmental sanitation regulations observed within the state.

Reports indicate that out of the 66 individuals arraigned, seven persons were discharged due to health-related and student-related considerations, while nine offenders were sentenced to carry out community service as punishment for violating the sanitation order.

Meanwhile, the Abia State Government has warned residents that stricter enforcement measures may soon be introduced following what authorities described as poor compliance with the monthly sanitation exercise.

Speaking after the sanitation exercise, Commissioner for Environment, Philemon Ogbonna, represented by the Head of Population Control and Environmental Health, Mrs Happiness Akpulonu, expressed concern over the low participation recorded across several communities.

According to the commissioner, the state government was overwhelmed by the volume of waste generated after the sanitation exercise had reportedly been suspended for several months, leading to significant refuse accumulation in public spaces and major markets.

He specifically identified Orie Ugba Market and several other busy commercial areas as locations heavily affected by poor waste disposal practices.

“We were overwhelmed. My team could not clear all the refuse we were meant to clear. Residents, especially in Umuahia, respond better to enforcement than advice. We may have to stop advising them and begin stronger enforcement,” the commissioner stated.

The state government also urged local government chairmen to intensify mobilization efforts by encouraging residents to participate actively in community clean-up exercises.

Also speaking on the issue, Chairman of the Abia State House of Assembly Committee on Environment, Kalu Mba-Nwoke, linked the low compliance rate to the earlier suspension of the sanitation exercise for about three months.

He advised residents to adopt environmental cleanliness as a daily personal responsibility rather than limiting sanitation efforts to government-declared clean-up days.

“Environmental sanitation must be continuous. Even without government directives, people should keep their surroundings clean because it is a collective responsibility,” he said.

In a related development, the leader of the Northern Community in Abia State, Alhaji Yaro Danladi, reaffirmed support for the state’s sanitation programme, noting that members of the northern community actively participated in the exercise as part of efforts to promote environmental sustainability.

The development highlights ongoing efforts by the Abia State Government to strengthen environmental management policies while encouraging residents to maintain cleaner and healthier communities across the state.