Relief International Africa has warned the Rivers State Waste Management Agency (RIWAMA) against enforcing movement restrictions during the state’s monthly sanitation exercise, describing the directive as unconstitutional.
RIWAMA had declared that every last Saturday of the month would be a compulsory sanitation day, with movement barred between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m but in a statement signed by its Executive Director, Ambassador Green Isaac, Relief International Africa said while it supports the agency’s commitment to environmental cleanliness, restricting citizens’ freedom of movement has no legal basis.
“The imposition of movement restrictions without legal backing violates the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which guarantees every citizen’s right to personal liberty and freedom of movement,” the statement read.
The group cited a 2015 ruling of the Federal High Court in Lagos, delivered by Justice Ibrahim Idris, which declared such restrictions unlawful. It also referenced a subsequent Court of Appeal judgment, delivered by Justices Sidi Dauda Bage, Biobele Abraham Georgewill, and Ogochukwu Anthony Ogakwu, which reaffirmed that no state government or its agency has the authority to curtail constitutional rights under the guise of sanitation.
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Relief International Africa urged RIWAMA to adopt lawful approaches such as public education, community mobilization, and proper enforcement mechanisms that do not infringe on fundamental freedoms.
“We remain committed to partnering with the Rivers State Government to promote sustainable waste management practices. However, we will not hesitate to pursue every legal avenue to defend the rights of Rivers people,” Ambassador Isaac warned.
The organization stressed that Rivers residents deserve both a clean environment and the protection of their constitutional freedoms, adding that one must not come at the expense of the other.
