…Vows There Would Be No Sacred Cows, As Arrests Of Impersonators Commence
The Enugu State Government said it has disbanded an illegal anti-scavenger taskforce which has been allegedly extorting unsuspecting members of the public.
The government has also vowed to go after impersonators, arrest and jail them in order to deter future criminal behaviours, stressing that Governor Peter Mbah’s administration was committed to running a transparent and accountable government.
The development was disclosed by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, at the Government House, Enugu, on Tuesday, while disclaiming the report that a team called “Government House Environmental Taskforce” was set up by the state government with the mandate to collect revenue.
The SSG, who bemoaned the activities of the illegal taskforce as unacceptable, criminal and antithetical to governing philosophy of the Mbah administration which are transparency, traceability and accountability, stressed that the government had already set-up investigative body to arrest and prosecute those parading themselves as government agents in line with the extant laws of the state.
Prof Onyia assured members of the public of transparency in the investigation as there would be no sacred cow, insisting that justice would be served to the satisfaction of the victims of the illegal extortion.
“I want the people of Enugu State to know that there is no taskforce that has been set up by the government of Enugu State around environmental matters where their mandate is to engage in criminal activities. We will get to the root of the matter and ensure that justice is served.
“We are going to find out as a government who constituted this illegal taskforce. We have tons of incontrovertible evidence as we are investigating who constituted this taskforce and where the revenue collected was paid into,” the SSG added.
He, however, acknowledged that the only taskforce set up by the state government was charged to review some of the options that can help address the scavenging activities which had posed threat to the safety of the people, and also to create a structure that allows for legal and recycling process with the Enugu State Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA).
According to him, the government-sanctioned taskforce as approved by the governor is headed by him, with other members including, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Water and Waste Management, Mr. Andreas Gebauer, Chief Security Officer to the Governor, Mr. Alex Akinlalu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue, Adenike Okebu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Security, Mr. Vincent Onyeabor, Special Assistant to the Governor on Revenue Mobilization, Sandra George, and the Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Publication, Barr. Ejeh Joshua, who also doubles as the Secretary to the body.
Cautioning members of the public to refrain from dealing with any individual or group of persons parading themselves as taskforce on environmental matters, the SSG urged victims of the illegal taskforce to come up with evidence that would help the investigation team.
While also disclosing that the government decided to go after the impersonators through the help of petitions it received complaining about the illegitimate taskforce, the SSG said there were credible evidence before the office which included evidence of payments, bank tellers, and other damming evidence that had indicted some named persons.
He warned the public not to pay money to anyone or any taskforce that claims to be working for the government as revenue collectors, stating that the governor has directed that those funds allegedly collected illegally by the so-called environmental taskforce be recovered immediately.
Assuring entrepreneurs carrying on businesses in the state, Prof Onyia said the government would continue to support entrepreneurial behaviour through attractive incentives and conducive environment, adding that such support would be as permissible by the law.
