A civil society group, Centre for Social Justice and Public Protection (CSJPP), has faulted the Osun State Government for publicly parading persons arrested for dumping refuse on roads and drainage channels, describing the action as an overkill.
The group said while it supports environmental enforcement, the public parade of suspects amounts to dehumanisation and violates their rights.
HERALDSUN reports that the task force on Tuesday arrested a woman caught dumping refuse indiscriminately in Osogbo, the state capital.
In a video shared by an aide to Governor Ademola Adeleke, the woman was seen being asked to enter the taskforce’s waiting vehicle.
The woman was heard appealing to those who arrested her not to capture her face.
Also, a voice in the background was heard scolding the defaulter, lamenting that despite several jingles by the state government, some residents still disobey the directive.
Similarly, the Osun Amotekun Corps on Wednesday announced that it arrested over 30 persons in Osogbo and its environs for allegedly dumping refuse on roads and inside drainages during a midnight enforcement operation.
The operation, according to a statement by the Osun Amotekun spokesperson, Yusuf Idowu, was carried out in collaboration with environmental sanitation officials.
The security agency also uploaded a video of the arrested residents on its official Facebook page.
Reacting to the videos in a statement on Wednesday, the Coordinator of CSJPP, Akin Akanji, said the public parade of the suspects was unnecessary and unconstitutional.
“While we commend the Osun State Government for its intention to keep the state clean and prevent flooding caused by blocked drainages, we strongly condemn the public parade and media shaming of over 30 citizens arrested for alleged environmental offences. This is an overkill and not what the law prescribes.
“What the law provides for is clear: arrest, investigate and prosecute before a magistrate or environmental tribunal. The public parade of suspects, most of whom are poor and struggling Nigerians, is dehumanising, unconstitutional and reminiscent of a military regime. These are not armed robbers or kidnappers to be displayed before cameras.
“Government must address the root cause. Is there adequate waste collection in all areas of Osogbo? Are the PSP operators functional and affordable? Has government done enough sensitisation? You cannot neglect your own responsibility to provide waste bins and timely collection and then turn around to humiliate citizens. We call on Governor Adeleke to charge them to court without further delay and stop the practice of public parade,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigerians who reacted to the parade video uploaded on the Osun Amotekun Facebook page also condemned the public display of the offenders.
A Facebook user, Adeyemi Odetunde, commented, “In as much as I give the Corps credit for a job well done, I believe their faces ought not to be shown in this manner while reporting issues like this. Please, let us be mindful of the privacy and dignity of the individuals involved.”
Olare Sunday said, “This is nonsense; if you apprehend a criminal, you will cover their face. Why did you expose these people’s faces?”
