The people of Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Council Area of Anambra on Tuesday protested the transfer of Boko Haram inmates to a prison in the area.
The protest comes after former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Victor Afam Ogene, called on the people of Anambra, especially traders, to discountenance rumours of a transfer of Boko Haram convicts to the state, urging them to re-open their markets and businesses shut following apprehensions arising from the falsehood.
The placard carrying protesters comprising traditional rulers, clergy, traders, young men and women as well as the aged, marched peacefully protest along major roads and streets to register their grievance.
NAN reports that business activities were paralysed as traders locked up their shops to register their annoyance over the development.
Speaking to newsmen, the Chairman of Aguata Local Council Area, Mr Tony Umeoji, said that the transfer of Boko Haram prisoners to the place was politically motivated.
“It is an attempt to interrupt the development of the South-East.
“I must tell you that this development will chase away intending investors to the state, thereby setting back the wheel of progress of the state.
“It is a situation that calls for concern because of the apprehension and restiveness among the people of Ekwulobia. The people are scared and there is a general sense of insecurity in the place.”
The chairman said that the Ekwulobia prison does not have the capacity and facility for such high profile inmates.
According to him, the prison is 80-bedded and there are already 133 inmates in the facility.
Umeoji noted that adding another 47 inmates to the number would be too much and unhealthy for human beings.
A lawmaker representing Aguata II Constituency, Mr Ikem Uzezie, appealed President Muhammadu Buhari and other authorities concerned to, as a matter of urgency, relocate the new inmates to a prison with maximum capacity …Read More
Source:: PM Newspaper
