Pandemonium broke out on Monday, May 9, 2016 at Nkwegu, a community near Abakaliki, Afikpo-South Local Government Area, Ebonyi State as over 200 women stripped naked to protest the continued incarceration of the community’s president-general, Ndubuisi Ekumankama.
The police have been detaining the president over alleged demolition of a widow’s house in Amangwu Edda community of the state.
The naked protesters were said to be heading towards the state government house but were stopped by the policemen at Nkwegu, near a military cantonment.
According to a report by Punch, the police officials were confused on how to handle the naked women while some of the, reportedly fled the scene for fear of death.
It took the intervention of a police team sent by the state police commissioner, Ibekwe Abdallah, to calm the naked protesting women.
When contacted, the state police public relations officer, George Okafor, confirmed the incident and stated that the women’s action was shameful and a desecration of the Igbo culture.
He also disclosed that two suspects arrested for demolishing the widow’s house have been charged to court.
He 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.”
