Waste management agency denies allegations of abuse

THE Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA) has denied allegations by the Civil Rights Realisation and Advancement Network (CRRAN) that its staff attacked and injured two security men at a residential house in Enugu while carrying out an enforcement operation.

A statement signed by the Managing Director of the Authority, Mr. Dom Okonkwo, described the allegations as ‘false and mischievous’ lamenting that two members of its staff were now unjustly facing prosecution on the strength of the allegations.

He said the allegations were part of a smear campaign being mounted by some people in the state against his agency in a bid to discredit it and prevent it from carrying out its lawful duties.

Giving the agency’s side of the story, Okonkwo said that contrary to the allegations, two of its staff who had gone to a residential house at Independence Layout, Enugu, to enforce sanitary laws of the state, were actually the ones that were attacked by two security men working in the house.

The ESWAMA Staff, he said, had upon being attacked, followed standard procedures and reported the incident at the Independence Layout Police Station, adding that a police unit was promptly dispatched to arrest the two security men who, according to him, however escaped before they could be arrested.

The ESWAMA boss said that he was later to learn, much to his surprise, that the police detained his men and charged them to court on charges
of assaulting and injuring the security men.

He said: “What happened came to us a shock and a surprise because the case was properly incidented by my staff and the police even went with them to arrest the security men who attacked them but they (security men) escaped. How the story was twisted and my staff suddenly became the suspects and later accused persons in this matter, remains a mystery to me.”

Meanwhile, the Enugu State Government has restated its stand against abuses by its agencies and personnel, warning that anyone caught engaging in such acts, will face severe punishment.