Hundreds of women in Amagu community, Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State on Tuesday protested the arrest of their husbands and sons by the police.

The residents of the community and some government officials in the area have been at loggerheads over lead mineral deposit in the community.

Some members of the community were said to be mining the lead without license from the federal or state government.

The police were alerted by some government officials in the area on the alleged illegal mining which led to arrest of six persons.

The arrest triggered protest by youth of the area who blocked the entrance and exit points of the area to prevent police officers from leaving with the arrested persons.

The situation led to a clash between the youth and the police officers which left some persons injured.

Another account indicated that earlier in the day, the police mobilised its officers and arrested over 30 members of the community.

Angered by this, women made up of the young and elderly took to the streets of Abakaliki to protest the arrest.

The women were loaded in trucks from the community to Abakaliki where they marched round some major roads in the capital city to Abakaliki local government headquarters.

The women numbering over 2,000 with palm fronds on their faces, waists and other parts of their bodies marched to register their anger over the arrest. They then gathered at Nkaliki road junction where they took off to Abakliki local government headquarters, Nkaliki.

They were almost stopped by a team of police officers in over six hilux vans who blocked them on the road.

When they got to the entrance gate of the local government, they tried pulling it down as it was shut by the security officers.

To disperse the women, police officers fired teargas on them.

Speaking with journalists, one of the protesters, Nwofoke Blessing, said “we are here to tell the council chairman that we are not happy the way our husbands and sons are arrested. We are telling him to release our husbands and sons.”

“Since yesterday morning they have been arresting our youths and husbands, even my husband was also arrested.

“This morning, they came back with seven hilux vans and continued the arrest of our youths and husbands. We were having meeting in our play ground when they came in and arrested our people there”.

“This is why we the women came out to see our council chairman, but police blocked us. We succeeded in coming to the local government to tell the chairman to release all our people. The problem is lead(mineral deposit) issue. Some government officials want to ‘carry’ all the mineral deposits without us benefiting and our youth said no that we are members of the community who should be carried along”.

Addressing the women, the Senior Special Adviser to the Governor on internal security, Kenneth Ugbala, assured them that the state government will look into the problem and resolve it amicably.

He urged them not to take laws into their hands as it would aggravate the problem.

The chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Emma Nwangele, refused to see journalists who went to his office over the matter.

WE ACTED LEGALLY – Police

The police spokesperson, Loveth Odah, said there was a formal report against illegal mining in the community which the police acted upon and arrested six persons who were mining in the area illegally.

She dismissed the claim by some members of the community that over 100 persons of the area were arrested as according to her, only 27 were arrested.

“Police are investigating the matter and I think that is why the women are protesting. In no distant time, police will get to the root of the matter and their husbands and sons will be released to them.

“What we are appealing to them is to calm down so that they will not succeed in destroying more properties,” she said.

Source: https://www.premiumtimesng.com/regional/ssouth-east/251551-illegal-mining-ebonyi-women-protest-arrest-husbands-sons.html/amp

Front Page: lalasticlala

This guys are guilty no question. The women are protesting a legal arrest. These guys were mining lead if anytging goes wrong they poison water. Then The government has to step in to solve situation like in zamfara. The government's role is to regulate these activities.

At the time the state should look into registering illegal miners. It's already the policy and will benefit economy long term. If they are legal you can collect taxes, regulate activities and benefit from government funding.

Good

Lead
Its dangerous

Fayemi oya oh...na another territory be that

I'm surprised that the police were so restrained. This could of went a lot worse.

Blue3k2:
I'm surprised that the police were so restrained. This could of went a lot worse.

Yorubas and evil thinking.
SMH

Ikwokrikwo:

Yorubas and evil thinking.
SMH

Lol what daft statement. These people clashed with police and and tried to interfere with an arrest with nothing major happening. It's funny the same groups ranting about illegal mining in North are having clashes with police over their criminal activity. I'm not Yoruba. How exactly is my comment evil? Lol please get some sense unless it's against your culture.

Front Page: lalasticlala

Bump

Lalasticlala

Blue3k2:
Lol what daft statement. These people clashed with police and and tried to interfere with an arrest with nothing major happening. It's funny the same groups ranting about illegal mining in North are having clashes with police over their criminal activity. I'm not Yoruba. How exactly is my comment evil? Lol please get some sense unless it's against your culture.

Front Page: lalasticlala

Ignore the dimwit. There's an earlier thread where it was reported that police clashed with local miners in Taraba leading to several loss of lives.
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If the circumstances were reversed such that the "peaceful" arrest happened in Taraba while the unfortunate loss of lives happened in Ebonyi, these lot wouldn't let anyone hear a word. They would've cursed the president and accused him of all manner of war crimes.