Residents of Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, have become double victims of the ineptitude of the Governor Seriake Dickson administration: arrested by the hundreds for the government’s failure to dispose of the trash that has overrun the area.
Only recently, the governor admitted publicly that the poor sanitary condition of Yenagoa was unacceptable to his administration, but rather than hold the management of the Sanitation Authority to account, he has ignored the ongoing harassment, intimidation, arbitrary arrest and extortion being inflicted on ordinary people.
Everyday, the workers of the Sanitation authority abduct hundreds of people who are accused of breaching instructions on waste disposal, and then charged N5,000 per head to be set free.
The situation has become so bad that the residents have threatened to take to the streets if urgent steps are not taken to stop the touts.
It was learnt that last Friday, hundreds of persons, including children, were arrested between 8 and 10pm by the boys attached to the waste disposal unit of the Environmental sanitation authority and handed over to the police, with the instruction that they were only to be released upon payment of N5,000 each.
Those who could not pay the sum slept at the police station till their guardians located them and paid the N5,000 ransom.
One of the key issues is the recent decision by the authority that all refuse or waste should only be taken to designated refuse dumps on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between the hours of 7 and 10 pm. Residents are to bag their trash only with black polyethylene bags that are sold only by the authority.
Although the residents seem to be obeying the policy, however, sometimes they are unable to obtain the ‘official’ bags and resort to using their own bags to package the waste.
In the words of Mr. Jeff Yeigba, a victim of the harassment last Friday, “The manner these sanitation boys were going about the work is very wrong as they would not listen to anything, their impunity is despicable.
“It is rather unfortunate that Dickson is allowing these touts to embarrass people, some of them even boasted that the job has been given to them for their exploits in Dickson’s elections and that no power in the state can stop them.”
He explained that as soon as he came out to dump his refuse bag, he was told he should buy the official bag to package the waste.
“I then told them that I had no money on me as I am not aware of the new policy, but let me call my brother to bring money for me from the house so that I can buy. I called my brother, and while I was waiting for him, the boys came with a coaster bus and ordered me to go inside their vehicle without allowing me to explain anything.”
He said he was arrested at the Okaka refuse dump and taken to the police station where all those arrested were ordered inside and were asked to pay N5,000 each before any of them could regain freedom. In his case, it was not until his brother arrived the following morning and paid the amount that he was set free.
Another victim narrated how the boys arrested him at the Ebis bus stop at Amarata even when he had not reached the dump site to buy the bags. He warned that if the trend is not checked it could result in serious problems as the boys are out there to line their pockets, pointing out that no receipts were issued for the N5,000 ransom being charged per head.
When contacted, the Bayelsa State Police Public Relations Officer, Mr. Alex Akhigbe, confirmed and condemned the action of the boys, saying the command has received various complaints on the matter.
He stated that the authority has no business bringing their offenders to the police as the work of environmental sanitation is very different from that of the police, and promised to meet with the Sanitation authority on the matter.
He however did not comment on the alleged complicity of the police in the extortion of money to free abducted members of the public.
The Chairman of the Environmental Sanitation authority, Chief Abel Ebifemowei, a close ally of Governor Dickson, was said to have travelled out of the country.