Women of Amangwu Ohafia, in the Ohafia local government area of Abia State, have protested the continued presence and siege by operatives of the Nigerian Army in their community.
The women in their numbers matched around the communities in the area on Tuesday, demanding that the military personnel vacate the ancestral capital Of Ohafia, Elu Ohafia.
The women marched down to the palace of the Udumeze of Ohafia, Eze Prof. E.U.L. Imaga where the council of Ohafia Monarchs received them.
The women explained that the continued presence of the army especially in the community secondary school has discouraged their children from attending schools for fear of either being arrested or harassed.
They also alleged that the soldiers rape women and commit other crimes in the community.
They said that they fear that if nothing urgent is done to arrest the situation, their children may end up missing their promotional examinations.
Pleading with the Monarchs to seek solutions to the problem facing the communities, they demanded the immediate withdrawal of the military from the area.
According to them, “The atrocities in Ohafia caused by the occupation of the army is becoming unbearable.
“For over a month, our children could not go to school because of the army occupation that has taken over the community school”
“In fact, militarisation of Igbo communities is an obvious case of intimidation by the federal government. You don’t observe this in other parts of the country. Why must it be Igbo land, in particular Ohafia?
“Why should soldiers occupy the entire community for nothing?”
Responding on behalf of the monarchs, Prof. lmaga who spoke through his representative, Engr. Prince Uma Agbai Olugu lauded the women for tabling their concerns in a peaceful manner.
He promised that the Council will give immediate attention to the problem and urged them to encourage their children to remain law-abiding and go about their duties without fear.
