A disturbing incident involving the Edo State Sanitation Task Force has sparked widespread condemnation after reports emerged of operatives allegedly assaulting residents, including a pregnant woman, over movement restriction violations during a sanitation exercise.
Eyewitness accounts and video footage circulating online depict sanitation officials physically confronting individuals accused of defying the monthly sanitation lockdown, which restricts movement from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on the last Saturday of each month. The policy, reintroduced earlier this year by Governor Monday Okpebholo’s administration, has faced criticism from legal experts and human rights organizations, who argue that it lacks constitutional backing and has led to troubling instances of rights abuses.
Despite a recent Appeal Court ruling declaring such movement restrictions unconstitutional, the enforcement of the policy has continued, raising concerns about the government’s commitment to the rule of law. The incident has intensified calls for an independent investigation into the actions of the sanitation task force and a review of the legality of the movement restrictions.