At least 1,000 women from Igboetiti Local Government Area in Enugu State on Monday staged a protest against the mixture of ethanol and a native gin popularly called kai-kai or ogogoro by the dealers to make it stronger.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the women under the auspices of Christian Mothers, marched through some streets in the town.
They marched through Enugu Road, Ogurugu Road, University Road and Court Road carrying placards with different inscriptions. Some of the placards read “Save our youths” and “stop taking kai-kai”.
Some placards also called on the state government to invoke the criminal code that makes the production and sale of dangerous substances an offence.
“Our farmlands are fallow, nobody to cultivate them because our children and husbands are busy drinking kai-kai.
“We no longer want the sale of kai-kai and Indian hemp in Igboetiti to save our children from further destruction,” some of the placards also read.
NAN gathered that the women were at Nsukka because the court case they instituted against some of the dealers in the drink in the area was for hearing.
Efforts to speak with some women failed as they refereed our newsmen to their lawyer, Mr Felix Odo.
Speaking with newsmen, the counsel to the women, Mr Felix Odo, said he obtained a fiat from the attorney-general of the state to prosecute the matter.
Odo said that four people from Aku community were being prosecuted for adding industrial ethanol to the drink and selling it to people.
He said the matter was initially handled by the Igboetiti Magistrates’ Court before the defendants sought and obtained its transfer to the Nsukka High Court.
“The matter is for hearing today by the Nsukka High Court today but the judge was said to be unavoidably absent. The matter will come up on Oct. 10,” he said.
Efforts to get comments from Mr Vincent Ezeugwu, the counsel to the defendants, proved abortive as he was busy attending to other legal issues in the court.
However, Igwe Vincent Attah, the traditional ruler of Aku Community, who spoke on behalf of other traditional rulers accompanying the women, said they were behind the women in their fight.
“Our youths are dying daily in their numbers while others are being rendered useless.
“Recently a boy killed his mother; young girls are raped every day and families are breaking up because of kai-kai and Indian hemp.
“We support our women and we will follow them to any extent to ensure that this evil that renders our children useless is stopped,” he said. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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I urge the governor of Enugu State to consider the plight of the Community, borrow leaf from the people of Benue State and ban the hazardous drink called Ogogoro. It is too dangerous for the health of our people and is as worse as all banned substances. NAFDAC should as well take note.
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