No fewer than 10 people, including councillors, a journalist and a cameraman, were reportedly injured on Thursday after armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a meeting of councillors in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The incident occurred at Odoro Ikpe, the headquarters of the local government area, during a meeting convened by aggrieved councillors seeking to scrutinise the council’s financial records amid allegations of financial irregularities and lack of accountability against the council chairman, Hon. Inibehe Umah.
The councillors alleged that the chairman had consistently refused to provide details of the council’s income and expenditure and had also withheld statutory funds and allowances due to members of the legislative council.
Speaking at the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, where they briefed journalists after the incident, the lawmakers accused the chairman of running the council without transparency since assuming office in October 2024.
“The chairman lacks the virtues of accountability and openness. He has abused office since coming into power,” the councillors alleged.
According to them, governance activities in the council are largely limited to social media publicity rather than actual service delivery.
“The chairman runs Ini Local Government Council alone and only functions on the pages of social media, Facebook and WhatsApp. If you come to the council, nothing is happening,” they claimed.
Leader of the Legislative Council, Mr. Donald Usoroh, who sustained injuries to his leg during the incident, alleged that the chairman stormed the legislative chamber with dozens of hired thugs who attacked councillors during plenary.
Surrounded by seven other councillors out of the 11-member council, Usoroh said the lawmakers were assaulted while attempting to carry out their constitutional oversight responsibilities.
“Today is a sad day for democracy in Ini Local Government Area and for legislators across Nigeria,” he said.
