An official of the Delta State government has justified the arrest of a man who was seen in a viral video bathing on a flooded road, saying the action was suicidal.
The action of the man was aimed at highlighting the deplorable state of Shell Road in Sapele.
Before the man identified as Uge Elo Kenneth took a bath inside the flooded road, he thanked the Delta Government for providing their community with a swimming pool.
Kenneth’s actions were intended to draw attention of the state government to the lack of proper infrastructure in the area, but instead of addressing the road issue, the Delta State government allegedly sent undercover security agents to apprehend him, it was learnt.
The arrest however sparked criticism from the public, with many questioning why the government’s focus was on silencing the individual rather than addressing the underlying problem of poor infrastructure.
Meanwhile reacting to the arrest of Uge Elo Kenneth bathing in the murky water in the viral video over the weekend, Delta state government denied having hand in the arrest but described the action of Kenneth as “suicidal.”
In a statement on behalf of the state government, Director General, Delta State Orientation and Communications Bureau, Fred Latimore condemned Kenneth’s actions saying that “The trending video of a young man bathing in dirty road water is distasteful and should not be encouraged by any right thinking individual. Bathing in contaminated water can cause certain health problems including; skin irritation caused by contact with small larvae called cercarias, eye, ear and throat infections, among others. This is not the right way or strategy to attract government attention.
“Government is investing heavily on quality healthcare for our people, and it is very unfair for one of our brothers to bath in dirty road water without considering the possible health hazards. He must never do that again. His subsequent arrest was never at the instance of the state governor, Sheriff Oborevwori.
“The law enforcement agents may have interpreted the actions of the young man to mean suicide attempt which is against the Law. Governor Oborevwori is currently paying adequate attention to roads in Sapele local government area, and the other 24 local government areas in the state.
“The MORE Agenda implementation will go round the three senatorial districts. Government cannot handle all the dilapidated or bad roads at the same time. They shall be rehabilitated and reconstructed along with other categories of infrastructure in phases across the state. Governor Oborevwori is working round the clock to Advance Delta beyond 2027 and it is only fair to join hands with him to bring unprecedented development to our dear State”, Latimore stated.