South East breaking News
The Metals Dealers Association Umuahia branch has cried out for Government’s intervention to stop the constant harassment and intimidation their members experience from some security agents,especially the Civil Defense and the Police, appealing to Governor Alex Otti to call them to order.
Addressing Newsmen in Umuahia,the chairman of the association Umuahia branch,Chief Ferdinand Ezeori, narrated their ordeals in the hands of some security agents,how they sometimes drove in to their shops, harassing, intimidating and eventually extorting money from them.
He explained that some of these security agents usually come on their own without the consent of their leaders,added that on few occasions,he was a victim of their intimidation
According to him,” We call on Governor Otti to help us. God has been helping us but some security agents without the knowledge of their Ogas, always come into the shops of our members harassing and intimidating us.
” You will suddenly see them drove in with their vans and started slapping and intimidating us as well as ask for money.
” We are not happy with this development,hence,we are calling on our Governor Dr Alex Chioma Otti to call them to order.
” We are law abiding people,let them stop the intimidation” he said
Speaking further,he frowned on the way one of their members was shot and killed by security agents at Ubakala and called for full investigation into the matter for justice to reign.
Explaining what happened,” An eye witness told me that the Civil Defense officers drove in with their Hilux and requested to see the owner of the shop and they were told the owner was not around. They were three officers, two of them went inside the shop and handcuffed two of the boys out of the 3 boys working for the man and the other boy started pleading for them to stop intimidating his colleagues,one of the officers shot him twice on his legs.
” It was not accidental discharge, rather a deliberate action which led to the death of the innocent boy. We want Government to investigate them”
Speaking on the Governorship election in Abia,he said all their members have been happy since the emergence of Governor Alex Otti.
” We are very happy,Dr Alex Chioma Otti won.
He defeated PDP,we are happy.
“He has started fulfilling some of his campaign promises,our prayers are for God to strengthen him.
“We are happy because we know he will protect our members.
” We heard that he will soon start empowering the youths and the poor people,we are also praying that he remembers our members” he said