The Anambra State Government, through the Operation Clean and Healthy Anambra Brigade, has demolished several shanties and illegal structures at and around Mgbuka Obosi Market in Idemili North Local Government Area as part of an enforcement exercise to address environmental and safety violations.
The operation, carried out on Monday, targeted makeshift buildings and business outlets erected directly beneath high-tension electricity cables, which authorities described as a major threat to public safety.
Speaking during the exercise, the Managing Director of the OCHA Brigade, Mr Celestine Anere, said the action was in line with the agency’s mandate to protect lives and public infrastructure across the state.
“Structures built under high-tension power lines pose serious danger to their occupants and to the general public,” Anere said.
“Our responsibility is to prevent avoidable disasters and ensure that public spaces are safe and orderly.”
He warned that residents, traders and developers who ignore government directives and continue to operate in restricted areas would face legal consequences.
“Anyone who defies these regulations will be treated as a lawbreaker,” he stated.
“Defaulters will be prosecuted and made to pay for the cost of manpower and equipment used in demolishing their illegal structures.”
Anere stressed that the enforcement exercise was not directed at any particular individual or group but was purely a safety-driven intervention.
“This exercise is not targeted at anyone,” he added. “It is designed to safeguard lives and to discourage the dangerous practice of building or trading within power line corridors and other prohibited zones.”
He noted that the state government had repeatedly warned the public against erecting buildings, shops or temporary structures under high-tension cables and similar restricted areas.
According to him, the operation at Mgbuka Obosi Market serves as a clear signal of the government’s resolve to enforce environmental and safety regulations.
“We urge residents and traders to comply with the law in their own interest and for the safety of the wider community,” Anere said.
The enforcement follows the Anambra State Government’s earlier announcement that it had commenced full implementation of environmental laws across the state, with penalties ranging from ₦20,000 to ₦5 million, depending on the nature of the offence and whether the offender is an individual or a corporate body.
