Journalist, Obenta Beaten Up By Obiano’s Aide , Njideka Oraedu ASWAMA Boss For Taking Photograph

            

The Anambra state Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Okechukwu Obeta   who is also the city editor of the Source Magazine in the area was yesterday arrested by officials of the Anambra State Waste Management Agency, ASWAMA, for allegedly taking photographs of the agency’s officials who were impounding people’s property and bundling them into their trucks for seemingly violating the day’s sanitation exercise.

Obeta, along side about 200 others arrested in different parts of Awka, were detained at the Central Police Station, CPS, where those who were said to have violated the sanitation exercise were asked to pay fines ranging from N7000 to N10000 before they could regain their freedom..

Narrating his ordeal to newsmen at the CPS, over the counter, Obeta said that after he interviewed the managing director of ASWAMA, Mrs. Njideka Oraedu with other journalists, he tried to take a photograph while officials of the agency were at work, adding that it was then that the managing director snatched his ipad, while her subordinates took two telephones in his possession and drove him to CPS where he was put behind the counter.

At press time, Obeta was still being detained, even after the police public relations officer, PPRO, of the state police command, Mr. Emeka Chukwuemeka spoke to ASWAMA boss explaining that the journalist was only doing his work.

When reporters called the ASWAMA boss on phone about the situation, she flared up, claiming that she was not responsible to anybody and would therefore not explain anything. She also vowed not to release the items she confiscated, saying “you can go to hell”.

The CPS was like a market place as truck loads of people’s property were deposited there, with people who came to bail their arrested relations milling around. Mostly affected were food vendors, bread sellers, recharge card sellers, among others, who claimed that they were not aware that Thursday had been made environmental sanitation day in Anambra State.

 A source told the Daily Champion thus: “ASWAMA officials were harassing and intimidating those arrested and telling them that they would remain in detention until they paid the money demanded.”

Mrs. Gloria Odo, a pregnant woman who is a food vendor at the popular UNIZIK junction said at the police station that at the time she closed her business on Wednesday, there was no announcement that Thursday was a sanitation day.

“If I knew that today is a sanitation day, I would not have come out. I was opening my shop when the ASWAMA officials swooped on me and carried all the food I prepared to sell and the bags of rice and beans in the shop. They also removed all my chairs and tables and the drinks in the cooler,” she said.

Another lady who gave her name as Favour said all the shoes and dresses in her shop were confiscated and her sales agent who was pregnant bundled into a waiting ASWAMA truck. She also claimed that she was not aware of the announcement that Thursday was declared a sanitation day.

Mr. Isaac Nwosu, who made the announcement on behalf of ASWAMA on Wednesday, said the announcement was made after offices and shops had closed, adding that he did it immediately he was contacted.

 Courtesy Tony Okafor Champion Newspapers

 Pictured above is that of Benedict Uwalaka of leadership beaten up sometime