The Abia State Government on Saturday arrested a 109-year-old akara seller and 65 others for defaulting on the June monthly environmental sanitation exercise.
The state government also warned that it may resort to forceful enforcement of the exercise following low compliance by residents.
A total of 66 defaulters were arrested. Seven were discharged on health and student-related grounds, while nine were subjected to community service.
The elderly woman, Ma Chidinma Eluwa, who sells akara on Owerri Road, was discharged without paying any fine. She assured authorities that she would comply with the order next time.
After the exercise, environmental officials lamented that the poor turnout for the sanitation exercise was reversing years of progress and leaving markets buried under refuse, especially as the exercise had not been held for the past three months in the state.
