Ebonyi governor escapes robbery attack, as convoy rammed into illegal road blocks mounted by hoodlums

Clement Nnachi (Abakaliki)

Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State on Saturday recounted how he and members of his convoy including police and military personnel escaped robbery attack by whiskers at Onicha local government area of the State.

In a similar vein, the Governor has directed that henceforth no wake keep involving burial ceremonies should exceed 10pm in any part of the State.

The State Chief Executive made the disclosure at the Executive Council Chambers Government House  Abakaliki when a delegation of an International Non-Governmental Organization “AMURT FOUNDATION ” paid him a courtesy visit.

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Umahi narrated how defiant armed robbers mounted road blocks at Onicha community on Friday night at about 10pm when he and other members of his entourage were returning to Abakaliki the capital city.

He said that the hoodlums refused to  open the road block for him and his entourage to pass adding that his security personnel overpowered them and arrested them.

Governor Umahi insisted that it was illegal to block an incumbent Chief Executive of a State warning that his Aide – de Camp should order for a shoot out if the incident reoccurs next time.

According to him, “No wake keep should pass 10 pm, the Attorney General is hereby directed to draft the enabling laws to be forwarded to the State House of Assembly”

“The Attorney General/Commissioner for Justice should make the law, if any burial wake keep will pass 10pm, permission must be sought from the Chairman of the Local Government Area “

“Yesterday night (Friday) at about 10pm in Onicha local government area of the state,  I was coming back to Abakaliki, my convoy rammed into an illegal road block mounted by robbers, they did not open the road “

“They were arrested by the combined  police and military personnel attached to me, but before their arrest one of the guns belonging to a soldier was reported missing”

The State Chief Executive expressed dismay over the incident stating “they blocked a Governor of a state, supposing it was an ordinary person, the hoodlums would have robbed the person”

Umahi however commended the leadership of “AMURT FOUNDATION” for its intervention in the area of health, education and provision of basic  health care facilities in rural communities of the state.

“We are surprised at the volume of work the Foundation is doing in various local government areas of the state, I want to officially domicile the programmes of the Foundation in the office of the Commissioner for Grants and Donor Agency”

He appealed to the Foundation to avoid constructing more health facilities in the State but  rather take over the existing ones in the communities.

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Earlier in his speech. the leader of the Foundation Mr Peter Sage, disclosed that the Foundation came to the State in 2010 to address the problem of maternal and primary healthcare services .

He enumerated the areas of intervention of the Foundation in the state to include the construction of nine Model Primary Health care Centers, offering 24 hours health care Services in terms of maternal health in addition to targeting remote communities.