From Emmanuel Uzor, Abakaliki
There was pandemonium at Nkwegu community near Abakaliki, capital of Ebonyi state as over 200 women from Afikpo South Council area of Ebonyi state protested naked over the alleged continued detention of the President General of the community, Ndubuisi Ekumankama. He was detained by the police for allegedly demolishing a widow’s house in Amangwu Edda community.
The women, who had planned to storm the Government House in protest were intercepted by policemen at the Nkwegu, near military cantonment when they resisted the first team of policemen who could not withstand the sight of the rampaging naked women.
Daily Sun gathered that the women protested without wearing anything at the upper parts of their body which threw many into confusion, including the policemen.
However, it took the intervention of the Police Commissioner, CP Peace Ibekwe Abdallah who immediately mobilised another team of policewomen led by the Officer in charge of Criminal Investigation Department, who led other policewomen to the scene.
Speaking to our reporter on the incident, the Ebonyi State Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO), ASP George Okafor, described the actions of the protesting naked women as shameful and desecration of Igbo culture and norms.
Mr. Okafor said the women had planned the protest last week but were advised to follow the legal way of registering their complaints since the suspect and the President General of the Community who was arrested by the police in connection to the demolition of the widow’s house has been charged to court.
“Last week, a group of women numbering about 20 stormed the state headquarters to protest over the arrest and detention of a suspect who was being held for demolishing a widow’s house in Amangwu-Edda. After we spoke to them, they even saw the suspect and he spoke to them which showed that he is alive. They went back and today again, we got information that the same women had gone and mobilised over 200 other women to storm the government house to protest and we also got information that they were coming into the town naked so we tried to halt them from gaining entrance into the city.
“Our men who earlier got to the scene were repelled because of the sight of the nakedness of these women and we had to mobilise our police women led by woman ACP in charge of CID. They went there as women, who understood each other. And they had more access to them unlike the men who were being careful because these women were naked. Their actions were unfortunate and shameful. They have desecrated the Igbo culture by protesting naked over a politically motivated issue. If there were reasons to protest naked, these women should have known that it must be a serious issue.”