The Imo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) of operating like a terrorist organization under Governor Hope Uzodimma’s administration.
The opposition party warned that if the governor fails to act swiftly, the situation could degenerate into a major security threat in the state.
In a statement signed by its State Publicity Secretary, Lancelot Obiaku, the PDP said terrorism does not always wear camouflage or hide in the forests.
“It can also wear reflective vests, drive government-branded trucks, and move around the city sowing fear in the hearts of innocent people,” the statement read.
The party condemned a recent incident at Toronto/MCC Road in Owerri, where ENTRACO officials were reportedly captured on CCTV attacking motorists and traders with machetes, bottles, and other dangerous weapons.
“We make bold to say this is not enforcement—it is violence,” the PDP said, describing ENTRACO’s actions as “state-backed terror.”
According to the opposition party, ENTRACO was established in 2008 to ensure a clean, green, and healthy environment through sanitation, beautification, and urban maintenance.
However, it lamented that the commission has since deviated from its founding purpose and now acts as a “state-sponsored terror squad” tormenting traders and motorists across Owerri.
The PDP also questioned the duplication of duties between ENTRACO and the Imo State Traffic Management Agency (ISTMA), wondering why a sanitation agency would be chasing motorists with cutlasses when a traffic body already exists.
“Instead of planting flowers and cleaning gutters, they now wield weapons and chase drivers,” it stated.
The party accused the Uzodimma administration of empowering aides who move around with thugs under the guise of “monitoring and evaluation,” alleging that the trend encourages banditry, cultism, and impunity.
“When these thugs become full-blown terrorists tomorrow, the government will start blaming opposition parties,” the statement warned.
Recalling a similar incident in Naze, where youths protested the killing of a resident by ENTRACO operatives, the PDP said the commission’s repeated violent actions have gone unchecked.
“After every tragedy, ENTRACO releases arrogant and unapologetic statements that add insult to injury,” it said.
The party compared ENTRACO’s operations with similar agencies in other states, such as the Abia State Harmonized Task Force, which it said enforces order humanely and professionally. “It is a shame that ENTRACO officials in Imo act like street thugs and cultists,” the PDP lamented.
The statement further cautioned that the growing public anger against ENTRACO could trigger widespread resistance.
“When government agencies become instruments of oppression, the people will eventually rise in self-defense,” it said, citing the MCC Road resistance as a warning sign.
Calling on Governor Uzodimma to urgently reform the commission, the PDP demanded that ENTRACO be stopped from harassing traders and small business owners who are merely struggling to survive.
“Imo people want a clean and orderly city, but not one built on fear and intimidation,” the party said, urging that ENTRACO be redirected to its original mandate of environmental transformation—not terror.
