There was pandemonium at the Legislative Council Complex in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State on Thursday as thugs invaded the chambers, disrupting an ongoing sitting of the councillors.
Some of the lawmakers sustained injuries while scampering for safety. A female councillor, Ekomobong Isaac, was seen bleeding before she was evacuated to the hospital.
Journalists who came to cover the plenary were not spared as one of them, Emmanuel Ufon, was assaulted and his cameras confiscated.
Speaking after the incident, the Leader of the 8th Ini Legislative Council, Donald Usoroh, described the attack as unwarranted, alleging that it was sponsored by the Council Chairman, Inibehe Umah.
Usoroh recalled that trouble started when the legislators wrote to the chairman, inviting him to give account of the council’s monthly income and expenditure, in order to ensure accountability and good governance.
He said rather than the chairman responding to the request, he resorted to intimidation and violence by allegedly sending thugs to disrupt the scheduled plenary.
Usoroh maintained that the legislators were not even planning to impeach the chairman as they know the due protocols to follow if they want to do such but only wanted him to give account of huge funds he had collected from Governor Umo Eno for the development of the local government.
He, therefore, urged Governor Eno, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and other stakeholders to wade into the matter to forestall a full blown crisis in Ini LGA even as he reaffirmed their commitments to serving the people with courage, integrity and dedication to democratic principles.
Usoroh said, “We were not holding a sitting to impeach the chairman. The order paper and agenda for the sitting had already been prepared, and no item relating to impeachment was included.
“In the discharge of our constitutional duties, we had earlier requested a transparent account of the council’s monthly income and expenditure. This was a legitimate legislative responsibility aimed at ensuring accountability and good governance.
“This shameful act of aggression not only undermined democracy at the grassroots but also inflicted devastating consequences. Tragically, one of our female colleagues lost her two-month pregnancy as a direct result of the assault. This heartbreaking incident has left the Council and the community deeply shaken.”
Speaking on behalf of the journalists attacked during the incident, Comrade Ufon said he had been invited to cover the legislative beat which he normally covered and was carrying out his professional duties when the violence occurred.
Ufon alleged that individuals he described as “suspected terrorists and hoodlums” stormed the legislative chambers, destroyed his tripod, assaulted him and his cameraman, and seized their cameras.
According to him, the attackers claimed they were acting on the instructions of the council chairman and informed him that he would have to recover his equipment through them.
He said, “A free press depends on journalists being able to gather information, document events, and report news without intimidation, violence, or arbitrary interference. When journalists are physically attacked or their equipment is confiscated, several concerns should arise.”
Meanwhile, attempts to reach the council chairman were not successful as his phone lines were switched off and messages sent to him were not delivered.
