The Nation Newspaper Correspondent, Ogochukwu Anioke, and some other
Journalists were on Tuesday attacked in the Ebonyi State House of
Assembly by a serving Lawmaker in the Ebonyi State House,
Nkemka Okoro, a Commissioner Nominee, Stanley Okoro Emegha and their
Aides in the premises of the Assembly.
After attacking the Journalist, the thugs also held him hostage inside
the Assembly premises for about five minutes by ordering the gateman to
lock the gate as he made to drive out of the Assembly complex.
The incident happened after Mr Emegha was screened by the Assembly for
possible confirmation by Governor David Umahi as a Commissioner.
Mr Emegha’s screening was fraught with some irregularities as the
speaker of the House, Francis Nwifuru noticed that the year of his
graduation from Primary School did not tally with the year he started
secondary school on his documents.
Nwifuru had asked him to explain how he started secondary school a year
before the year he graduated from primary school as stated in his result
but he could not give any reasonable answer to the query from the
lawmakers
Speaking to Reporters after the incident, the Journalist narrated that
he witnessed Nkemka and Journalists having an altercation as they
confronted him for trying to stop them from interviewing Mr Emegha after
his screening.
“As the lawmaker was shouting on top of his voice, his boys joined him
and attacked one of the journalists 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”
Mr Ogochukwu 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 want.
“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,
Mr Emegha 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”. ENDS