No fewer than fifty (50) political thugs, suspected to be loyalists of the members of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, on Monday, attacked and assaulted the State Secretary of the Nigeria Union of journalists, NUJ, Mr. Nnamdi Akpa.
Akpa, the Ebonyi State correspondent of the Guardian Newspapers, was said to have been attacked by the thugs shortly after the House sitting at the Assembly complex located along Nkaliki road, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
He was said to have contacted the former Secretary to the Government of Federation, SGF, Sen. Pius Anyim Pius and the State chairman of PDP, Tochukwu Okorie to get their reactions following the alleged removal of the embattled Deputy Speaker of the House, Mr Obasi Odefa from his position.
Akpa, who spoke to journalists shortly after being manhandled by the said thugs, claimed that he was assaulted and attacked by over 50 of them.
According to him: “the thugs that attacked me are loyal to the Speaker and they are more than 50. When I came out from the chamber, they came and told me to give them my phone. I don’t know the reason I should give them my phone.
“They said I was texting some people. Before I knew what was happening, they started beating me up and took away my phone.”
Newsmen gathered that it took the intervention of the chairman of NUJ, Ebonyi State council, Mr Tony Nwazi and a few other journalists to rescue the victim, Akpa from the hands of the thugs.
In a swift reaction, the speaker of EBSHA, Mr. Francis Nwifuru tendered an apology to the victim, Akpa and members of the NUJ, Ebonyi State council but blamed the Secretary, Akpa, for sending text messages to people that are “enemies of the State Government”, stressing that such development would not happen again in the House.
