Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, has ordered the immediate suspension of all activities of the state-owned Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) until further notice.
The directive was contained in a statement issued late Monday night by the Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the governor, Oguike Nwachuku.
According to the statement, the decision followed a fatal accident on Monday near St. Mulumba Catholic Church along Akachi Road in Owerri.
The incident, which involved ENTRACO officials during an enforcement operation, allegedly led to the death of a commercial motorcyclist, while his passenger sustained severe injuries and was rushed to the hospital. A video of the crash, which circulated widely on social media, heightened tension across the Owerri metropolis.
In an earlier statement on Monday night, the agency’s Director of Operations, Ifeanyi Nwokedi, confirmed that the ENTRACO official suspected to have caused the accident had been handed over to the police for investigation.
The statement announcing the governor’s directive read: “Effective immediately, Governor Hope Uzodimma has suspended all activities connected to the operations of the Imo State Environmental Transformation Commission (ENTRACO) till further notice.
“He did so on Monday, November 10, 2025, following a report of an incident in Owerri linked to ENTRACO operations, which claimed the life of a person and left another in critical condition.”
The governor expressed regret over recent controversies surrounding the commission, noting that public complaints regarding ENTRACO’s operational methods had become a source of concern.
While announcing the suspension, Uzodimma cautioned that the directive should not be interpreted as a free pass for citizens to disregard environmental or traffic regulations.
“Suspension of ENTRACO operations is not a license for members of the public to take traffic, environmental, and other laws into their own hands,” the statement clarified. “Those found violating such laws will face appropriate sanctions.”
Recently, members of the Technical Committee of monarchs from the Southern states in the Southwest, Southeast and South-South geopolitical zones under the aegis of the Southern Traditional Rulers Council, led by their chairman and Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, on Thursday, visited the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, at the Government House, Owerri.
They also used the opportunity to appoint Uzodimma as their coordinator.
Handing in the letter of Uzodimma’s appointment, the Ooni of Ife stated that they found the Imo governor to be a dependable leader who had contributed enormously to the welfare and growth of the body of monarchs in the country, hence their choice.
The monarch informed them that they were in Imo State to prepare for their forthcoming general meeting in the state and to solicit the governor’s support.
