The sole administrator of Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA), Felix Obuah, has said that the agency will clamp down on scavengers who have continually defied sanitation rules in the state.

“Scavengers operating within Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital and its environs, have continued to deface the city, despite series of warnings by the state’s waste management agency.

“While waste managers strive towards achieving prompt waste disposal and sanity within the city, scavengers on the other hand have been sabotaging these laudable efforts,” he said.

The sole administrator said the scavengers had continued to root out already disposed of waste and litter the city with heaps of refuse.

”The agency will no longer tolerate flagrant flouting of the laws and restrictions on scavenging which constitutes a menace to road users.

“Their actions have continued to jeopardise all efforts to keep the state clean. Henceforth, we shall arrest and prosecute all sanitation law offenders,” Mr Obuah said.

The RIWAMA boss noted with dismay a situation where some persons unlawfully released some scavengers who were arrested for flouting the state sanitation rules.

The sole administrator said that such acts would no longer be tolerated in the state.

“Nobody is above the laws of the state. Defaulters in this regard will be decisively dealt with,” Mr Obuah added.