Abia Govt declares war against indiscipline, task force enters streets

The Abia State Harmonized Task Force (ASHTF), Aba Zone, on Tuesday began the enforcement of the law against street trading, illegal parking, indiscriminate dumping of refuse and environmental nuisance.

The Aba zone team, led by Chief Uche Wogu, the Transitional Chairman of Aba South Local Government Area, began the enforcement from Bata Junction down to Aba Main Park.

The enforcement also continued throughout the entire city centre, after two weeks of sensitisation.

Addressing newsmen during the exercise, Chief Wogu said that ASHTF would ensure that all wrong methods of enforcement were eliminated from the system.

“What will change is that nothing will be business as usual as there will be a massive reorientation of the mentality of the people of this town.

“In the past, you had all sorts of people in the task force doing things recklessly but now, we believe in the rule of law.

“You see people jumping into vehicles, causing accidents and all manner of things. ASHTF has six zones, two in Umuahia, and four in Aba and each zone has Mobile Courts attached to them.

“We have four mobile courts in Aba and when anybody defaults, we would all make use of the mobile courts and the court will issue the penalty charges.”

Wogu said that each offence had its penalty and any offence that had a cash payment had to be paid into the single treasury account.

The Coordinator of ASHTF, Aba Zone-B, Prince Emmanuel Ahumibe has also assured residents that there would be no harassment of any sort.

Ahumibe added that ASHTF was a task force with a difference that would do its job with human face, sensitisation and civil enforcement.

“We will use the mobile courts adequately to ensure that road obstruction, illegal parking, street trading and too many other things were eliminated,” Ahumibe assured.