Chief Rowland Nwakanma, the Deputy General Manager, Abia State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA), Aba Zone, said the state had initiated measures to check street trading, including the arrest and prosecution of suspected offenders.
Nwakanma also said that landlords, who allowed people to trade in front of their buildings, would also be prosecuted and made to pay penalties.
He said this on Friday in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Aba, while speaking on the efforts by the agency to rid the commercial town of street trading.
Meanwhile, a task force set up by the agency has arrested seven persons allegedly engaging in street trading.
Nwakanma said that the arrest was in compliance with government’s directive to the agency to rid the city of street trading.
The suspects were reportedly arresred in some parts of the city, including Azikiwe, Kent and Ehi roads.
He wondered why traders would prefer to line up the streets of Aba with goods, leaving their shops empty.
He said that the development often disrupted free flow of traffic, especially at the city centre.
He said that aside from constituting traffic jam, street trading usually led to indiscriminate dumping of refuse and blocking of the drains with refuse generated from the ugly practice.
Nwakanma said that the agency would soon hold a meeting with Aba landlords to sensitize them on the need to assist the agency to protect the environment and public infrastructure.
He appealed to residents to desist from acts that could deface, congest or cause environmental problems in the city to avoid arrest and prosecution. (NAN)
