The Operation Clean And Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade Commander, Mr Celestine Anere, has paraded seven persons who are suspected to be involved in illegal mining at Oba in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State.
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 however said, that the team apprehended the suspects in the act of excavating sands illegally thereby causing environmental degradation in the area.r
Mr Celestine advice truck 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.
Meanwhile, some of the arrested 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 Keke.
In Conclusion, He caution them, that the arrest are 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 in Anambra State”.
