A group of Ogoni women from the Khana Local Government Area of Rivers State, on Tuesday, protested semi-nude over the continued detention of their son and manager of the demolished Prodest Hotel, Dr Bariledum Azoroh.

The women, who gathered in the Zaakpo community, Khana LGA, called on Governor Nyesom Wike to release Bariledum.

He was fined N50,000 and quarantined for 14 days for violating the COVID-19 guidelines.

The hotel manager was also reported to have tested positive for COVID-19.
But the protesting women, including Bariledum’s mother, Beewo, threatened to go totally naked if the state government failed to release their son soon.

Some of the placards displayed by the protesters read, ‘Ogoni cannot lose another son again’, ‘Wike, please, release our son’ and ‘Our son is innocent’, among others.

Beewo said, “My son is innocent; since I was born, I have never seen such intimidation and victimisation. Please, Governor Wike, release my son.

“As a mother, I have been traumatised and took ill since the arrest of my son. Mr Governor, I believe you have a mother and brothers. How will you feel if someone treats them the way you are treating my son?”

Another woman, who gave her name simply as Grace, said Bariledum was healthy and nothing was wrong with him.

“There is no sickness in our son’s body. That is the truth. We beg you in God’s name to release him. Our son does not have the COVID-19 sickness,” she stated.