January 22, 2025

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

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