The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Imo State chapter, has expressed concern that the State’s Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) has become a terrorist organisation under Gov. Hope Uzodimma’s regime.

The party also expressed fears that if nothing is done urgently to address their alarming drift, it may snowball into something more dangerous and untoward.

In a statement issued in Owerri on Thursday by the PDP State Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku, the party clarifies that while people hear the word ‘terrorism’ and quickly associate it with armed groups living in forests and disturbing the peace of the people, yet terrorism is not always found in the forest.

He said: “It could also wear reflective vests, drive government-branded trucks, and move about in the city, sowing fear in the hearts of innocent people”.

The opposition party regretted that what happened along Toronto/MCC Road a few days ago, as captured by a CCTV camera, is nothing short of terror, adding that they watched as men armed with cutlasses, bottles, and other dangerous weapons pounced on motorists and traders.

Describing it as not enforcement but violence, the party observed with dismay the way and manner armed group unleashes fear and bodily harm on citizens, no matter the name it bears.

According to the party, the action fits the description of a terrorist organisation, adding that they fear that these men operate under the protection of the government.

He said: “While condemning these excesses, the PDP asserts, instructively, that ENTRACO was never designed to operate in this manner. The commission was established in 2008 for beautifying and maintaining a clean, green and healthy environment in the State, and this includes overseeing sanitation, cleaning of gutters, planting of flower and trees, and other efforts targeted at the creation of an environment healthy for human habitation.”

Obiaku recalled that during the administration of former Gov. Ikedi Ohakim who established the commission, ENTRACO achieved this mandate by making the city clean, while the people were at peace with the agency’s activities.

He observed that lately, particularly since the appointment of one Mr. Anyahie as Chairman, ENTRACO has drifted from its founding purpose, adding that instead of cleaning and beautifying the State, it has become a source of daily torment to motorists, traders, and small business owners.

He said: “Imo PDP wonders how the Imo State Traffic Management Agency (ISTMA) which already exists and which is empowered by law to handle traffic and parking violations, will be in operation, while ENTRACO takes up the business of wielding cutlasses and chasing drivers across the city and State”. (Nigerian Tribune)

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