Confusion in Ebonyi as women protest naked

There was confusion in Nkwegu community near
Abakaliki on Monday when over 200 women
from the Afikpo-South Local Government Area
stripped naked to protest the alleged continued
detention of the President General of the
community, Ndubuisi Ekumankama, by the
police.

Ekumankama was alleged to have demolished a
widow’s house in Amangwu Edda community of
Ebonyi State.

It was gathered that the naked women were on
their way to the Ebonyi State Government
House in Abakaliki but were intercepted by
policemen at Nkwegu, near a military
cantonment.

Our correspondent gathered that the policemen
who intercepted the naked women were
confused as to how to handle the strange
protest.

The protesting women were naked in the upper
regions of their body.
It was learnt that some policemen fled the
scene of the protest because of the belief that
policemen who attempt to stop naked
protesters would die.

The Ebonyi State Police Commissioner, Ibekwe
Abdallah, had to send a team of policewomen to
the scene of the protest.
It was the team of policewomen that brought
the protest under control.

Confirming the incident, the Police Public
Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command,
George Okafor, described the action of the
naked women as shameful and a desecration of
the Igbo culture.

Okafor said the women had planned the protest
last week but were advised to seek legal redress
as the president general, who arrested by the
police, had been charged to court.

The PPRO said, “Last week, a group of women
numbering about 20 stormed the police
headquarters to protest 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. This showed
them that he is alive. They went back.

“Today, we got information that the same
women had gone and mobilised over 200 other
women to storm the Government House in
protest. We also got information that they were
coming into the town naked so, we tried to halt
them from gaining entry 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
policewomen, led by a female Assistant
Commissioner of Police. Their action was
unfortunate and shameful.”

The PPRO added that the policewomen were
able to put the situation under control without
any casualty, adding that two suspects arrested
for demolishing the widow’s house have been
charged to court.