Crime

Ebonyi Community Protest Incessant arrest of their youths, husbands

March 19, 2024

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By Ruth Oginyi

On Monday, March 18th, 2024 thousands of aged men, women, and youth of Ngwogwo community, Ishiagu in the Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State, staged a peaceful protest against the incessant arrest and detention of some members of the community by the police.

The people marched from Ngwogwo community hall round the community with placards calling on the state government to arrest the situation to avoid youths taking laws into their own hands.

The Ngwogwo people accused the police of constantly arresting and detaining their youths, and husbands over frivolous petitions by Bar Orji Uchenna Orji, who is Special Assistant on media to the Minister of Works, Sen. David Umahi.

Orji a former Commissioner for Information and State Orientation was accused of using a former leader in the state to cause trouble and give the community sleepless nights.

Ogbonna Sunday Okeke new Chairman of the community, called on Governor Francis Nwifuru to sustain the peace he has already built in Ngwogwo by ordering for election that brought new leadership to the community. The Governor should call the accused, Orji to order before a fresh crisis erupts in the community.

He accused Orji of arresting three members of the community including Ajah Ndubuisi, Maduabuchi Igwe, and Nnamdi Chukwu over the weekend without committing any offence.

“We are still enjoying the peace our Governor brought to our community by making sure that there was an election when some persons like Orji did everything for the election not to hold.
“We don’t want crisis anymore in our community. This is why we are calling on Governor Francis Nwifuru to intervene and save us from indiscriminate arrest by Uchenna Orji. He has been writing frivolous petitions against the community which has been causing the arrest of some members of the community.

“Uchenna Orji is the only big fish in government we have in our community. What we need from him is government attention/projects. He should stop bringing crises to our community.
“What we need in our community is development, peace, and progress. We don’t need crisis anymore. If Uchenna Orji continues to cause crisis in our community through the indiscriminate arrest of our sons and daughters, we will have no option but to banish him, he will face us squarely.

” He has never attracted any project to our community and has never contributed to the development of our community. All he has been doing is fomenting troubles which we will no longer tolerate”, he stated.

Ajah Eucharia Ngwogwo community woman leader, said that the people of the community have not known peace since Orji got government appointments.
“We want Uchenna Orji to allow us to have a sigh of relief, he should allow us to be. We are suffering austerity measures; no food, no money, inflation everywhere and he is adding to our suffering.
“He has been disturbing our peace, he doesn’t allow us, our children and husbands to sleep. We can’t leave the community for him”.

When contacted on the phone, Uchenna Orji did not respond to the allegations rather he said “Write whatever you like, when I send you my own please publish it”.