No fewer than four men of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) were at the weekend in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, beaten to a pulp following a clash between them and the task force on environmental sanitation agency.
The clash began when the task force officials caught the NSCDC men for allegedly loitering along opposite Federal Teaching Hospital and attempted arrest them for prosecution.
But instead of identifying themselves properly, the NSCDC men shouted the task force officials down.
The development did not go down well with the task force personnel and a fracas ensued as a result.
The task force, however, called on the Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Paul Okorie, and that of the National President of Ebonyi State Youths Assembly, Mr. Chinedu Ogeh, to intervene, but all efforts to make peace with the civil defence members failed.
Addressing journalists shortly after the fracas, a senior Ministry of the Environment official, who did not want his name mentioned, said: “It is difficult to identify a law enforcement agent or a paramilitary personnel when he or she is not in uniform. Until you have encounter with them, you cannot know that they are not civilians.
“The four NSCDC men who clashed with the task force were not in uniform and that is why the task force officials could not identify them.
“The way they dressed did not even show that they are NSCDC personnel. Before the fracas, we came to disengage them from the scene to avoid further fight. We took the NSCDC and we have already discussed with them on how to repair their vehicle that was damaged during the fracas.
“We promised to assist them financially to enable them fixed their vehicle, but they should always make sure they put on their uniform during sanitation exercise so as to avoid further clash.”
He, however, urged law enforcement agents to stop violating the law, saying: “The truth of the matter is that, being a policeman or a soldier, civil defence or road safety official does not guarantee anybody to be on the road during sanitation.”
Meanwhile, 50 persons were arraigned in court sitting in Abakaliki for refusing to participate in the monthly sanitation exercise.
Magistrate Chinua Ukwa convicted them for violating the law and charged them to pay fine of N4,000 while some of them who could not pay were taken to the Abakaliki prisons. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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Beating to coma is now the punishment for violations of environmental law
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