NO fewer than 10 personnel of the Ministry of Environment (Monitoring and Enforcement Team), Onitsha South Local Government Area, Anambra State, allegedly sustained varying degrees of injuries on Friday, when over 50 members of Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra (OCHA) Brigade stormed Ochanja market and beat them to a stupor.
Trouble started for the environmental personnel shortly after they finished their orientation exercise at Our Lady’s High School, Woliwo, Onitsha, and embarked on a sensitisation and awareness exercise.
As they were going from street to street and shop to shop, telling traders and residents the need for environmental cleanliness, they were stormed by OCHA Brigade operatives who started shooting indiscriminately before pouncing on the officials of the Environment Ministry.
Condemning the act, the Coordinator of the Environmental Team in Onitsha South Local Government Area, Hon. Okwudili Anigbogu, who was also manhandled, expressed surprise that OCHA Brigade would behave like touts by beating them up without first demanding the identity or genuineness of the operations of the Environment personnel.
“They just pounced on us while we were sensitising the people on our presence. We have not even started the exercise but were just creating awareness of our presence so that the people will not claim we just stormed them without notice.
“I was beaten up by scores of them and bundled into a waiting vehicle while we were wearing our yellow aprons to display our genuineness. They shot indiscriminately to intimidate us and probably scare us.
“They came in their large number that the police team that was with us was not able to contain the situation. Most of us were seriously injured and bundled into waiting vehicles,” he further disclosed.
Reacting, the Head of Operations of the Environmental Team, Hon. Linus Ufor, expressed optimism that those who perpetrated the act would not go scot-free, disclosing that they would face sanction.
“Government is not taking it lightly because it is a slight on the government that members of its agency are being abused and assaulted by OCHA Brigade. People have been complaining about the illegal activities of some of the members of OCHA Brigade and today I have believed them.
“When they rushed at us with all manner of offensive weapons, they shot repeatedly into the air to scare us. Then they hit me and bundled me into one of their waiting vehicles. Many of our members, more than 10, were wounded and others beaten and whisked away to an unknown destination.
“I think government has intervened on hearing what transpired and ordered that we go back to our work while the OCHA Brigade has been directed to stop work for now over her stupidity.
“Traders took to their heels when those people arrived and started shooting as if there was war or that a criminal was being shot at. Thank God nobody was killed. If you see the way they were rushing at us as if they had seen terrorists,” he stated.
Also, the Commander of the Environmental Team, Chukwujekwu Ndubusi, who is among those bundled into a waiting bus, lamented that scores of their members were injured while performing their legitimate duty.
He pleaded that the perpetrators of the devilish act be properly sanctioned to serve as a deterrent to would-be future offenders, adding that the action of OCHA Brigade was barbaric.
