OCHA Brigade’s Mandate Goes Beyond Street Enforcement —Acting MD, Agbaefuna

By Chibuzo Obidike

Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra, OCHA Brigade, says its responsibilities extend beyond routine street enforcement to include the enforcement of environmental, sanitation and public-order regulations across the state.

This is according the Acting Managing Director, Mr Anthony Agbaefuna, who in a press statement today restated the organization’s readiness to fully implement the laws setting it up.

Mr Agbaefuna explained that under the Anambra State Environmental Management, Protection and Administration Law 2024, the Brigade is empowered to facilitate the arrest and prosecution of persons involved in illegal street trading and hawking, construction of structures on drainages, walkways and water channels, indiscriminate refuse disposal, unauthorised defecation and urination, vandalism of government property and other environmental offences.

He added that the Brigade is also responsible for enforcing compliance with monthly environmental sanitation, ensuring the cleanliness and desilting of gutters and drainages, controlling overgrown vegetation around residential and business premises, and collaborating with relevant government agencies on environmental matters.

The Acting Managing Director further listed the statutory responsibilities of the brigade to cover maintaining order around markets, addressing activities that cause road gridlock around market areas, enforcing payment of applicable state levies and tackling illegal revenue collection while calling for public cooperation and support to help in achieving the objectives of environmental protection and public order.