Lawmaker representing Afikpo
South West state constituency, Nkemka Okoro Onuma, on Tuesday ordered his thugs
and a civil defence officer whose name was yet to be identified at the time of
filing this report to beat and lock up journalists who came to cover the
screening of Commissioner nominees at the Ebonyi State House of Assembly.
Those beaten include reporter of
the Nation Newspaper, Ogorchukwu Anioke, Nwafor Samson of the Oracle Newspaper
and others who sustained injuries while fleeing to avoid being beating by the
thugs.
The commotion started when the
journalists approached the lawmaker to know why he dragged out one Mr. Stanley
Okoro Emegha, one of the Commissioner nominees, while they were interviewing
him.
One of the victims, Nwafor Samson
who is the Secretary of Correspondents’ Chapel while narrating his ordeal said:
“We were interviewing Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, one of the Commissioner
nominees after screening when the lawmaker, Hon. Nkemka Okoro Emegha, came and
dragged him out of our presence and moved him to his office. All of us were
embarrassed.
“So, when they came out of his
office, we decided to approach him to express our displeasure over the manner
he dragged him out and he got infuriated and threatened to slap me”.
“I told him it has not got to the
extent of slapping anybody but before we could know it, his thugs numbering
about 20 descended on us. It was as if he came prepared to attack us.
“As the thugs were attacking us,
the Lawmaker quickly moved back to the chambers to join the screening of
remaining Commissioner nominees”.
“My self and Ogochukwu Anioke of
The nation newspaper were injured during the attack and we lost our working
tools during the process”
“The thugs also held Anioke
hostage inside the Assembly premises by ordering the gateman to lock the gate
as he made to drive out of the Assembly complex in Nkaliki road Abakaliki.
Also speaking Anioke said: “the
lawmaker was shouting on top of his voice, his boys joined him and attacked one
of us, Samson Nwafor and hit him very hard on his chest and he fell down.
“At this point I intervened and
joined in separating the fight. The noise also attracted some Police Officers
working in the Assembly who came and helped to restore calm. Later Mr Stanley
Emegha came and pleaded with the journalists to forgive the lawmaker and the
thugs who attacked them”, Anioke said.
He further narrated that at that
point, one of the thugs who were with him came and started shouting again that
the journalists can go and write whatever they wanted.
“He also threatened to beat us up
and warned that we should leave the place. At that point, I became
unconformable and made to enter my car but his boys came and held my car door
and dragged me out. One of them came from the back and hit me on the back of my
head while others joined in the beating.”
“I managed to extricate myself from
them and entered my car, this time, the Commissioner nominee himself came and
held my car door. I started the car nonetheless and drove off, forcing him and
others with him to leave the door.
“But as I got to the gate, they
told the gateman to lock the gate and not to allow me to leave. They swamped
around my car and were trying to forcefully open it but they couldn’t. Some
were hitting the glasses with their hands trying to break it. At that point,
the Chairman of Nigerian Union of Journalists, Mr. Tony Nwizi came and told the
security men to open the gate which they did and I managed to escape to
safety,” he stated.
Attempt to speak with the
lawmaker failed as he wouldn’t allow any journalist get close when the heat was
on.
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