Anambra State government through Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade, has paraded seven persons suspected to be involved in illegal mining at Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area.
The Commandant of the Brigade, Mr. Celestine Anere said the arrest was made possible through constant monitoring and efforts of the patrol team of their task force on illegal mining.
He said the team apprehended the suspects in the act of excavating sands illegally thereby causing environmental degradation in the area.
Mr. Anere warned tipper Drivers to ensure that they enquire on the status of each site before going into a sealed location for sands as ignorance is not an excuse and revealed that the agency had sealed all unapproved mining sites with demand notices served on them and asked site owners to visit the state Ministry of Environment to obtain their approval or face the full wrath of the law.
Responding some of the suspects including a tipper driver, Mr. Odinaka Agubuisi, Ikechukwu Anene from Rivers State and Chibuike Chukwu from Ebonyi State all pleaded for leniency as they are aware that sand mining was illegal but were told by the site owner that they had obtained approval during their union meeting and assured that they will never make such a mistake again if forgiven.
Similarly, while on a routine patrol, the agency also arrested one suspect at Unizik junction Awka in Awka South Local Government Area, along Enugu-Onitsha expressway for illegal collection of Internal Generated Revenue from tricycle operators.
The arrest is part of the State government’s efforts to ensure a liveable and prosperous homeland through the implementation and enforcement of policies that will serve public interest.
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