Just In: Governor Orders Police To Shoot Anyone Who Blocks His Convoy

Umahi Gives Fresh Orders In Ebonyi State

The governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has ordered his security details to henceforth, shoot anyone who blocks his convoy.

The Governor noted that if anyone dies from such gunshot, the law accommodates such.

Governor Umahi reportedly gave the order on Saturday while recounting his ordeal when his convoy was blocked the previous night by mourners at a wake-keep programme in the state.

Naija News understands the governor’s convoy was blocked along Onicha Road in Onicha Local Government Area of the State while he and his entourage were returning to Abakaliki, the state capital from his Uburu, Ohaozara hometown on Friday night.

He alleged that one of his security aides lost his military rifle in the incident.

Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi

The Governor while receiving some guests at the State Executive Chambers in Abakaliki on Saturday, alleged that one of his security aides lost his rifle during the incident which he described as a criminal breach of the law.

“Yesterday night, I was coming back by 12 midnight. Of course, I had to stop over at the college to inspect projects, but when we got to Onicha, they blocked the road.

“Even with the litany of army and the police and everything, they did not even want to open the road. Then I said they should arrest all of them, but most of them ran away. I think they even took a gun of an army officer,” he said.

Governor Umahi vowed that those responsible for the act will found and punished, noting that some people are already working on fishing out those responsible.

“So the Chairman of the Local Government, the House of Assembly members and coordinators, they are working very hard and the SSA on Security, they are all there to sort it out.

“But I say, all of them will go to prison. So they have to identify them, bring them here and we will prosecute them to show an example,” he said.

He, therefore, instructed his ADC to order a shoot should anyone or group of persons block his convoy in the future.

“Next time the ADC should order for a shoot. It is very illegal to block the governor. And if anybody is killed in the course of that, it is allowed in the law.

“And it is not me that is the problem, it is the common man, nobody should be oppressed…,” the governor said.

Umahi said the decision was not taken out of selfish interest, but to protect residents of the state who may be unable to clear such obstruction and may fall victim of such blockade in the future, noting that if they could do it to him as a governor, they could do worse for a common man.

Furthermore, the Governor also placed a ban on any wake-keep in the state extending beyond 10 p.m.

Umahi said any wake-keep that will extend beyond 10 pm, must be approved by the chairman of the local government area who will be held responsible along with the person who made the request should there be any problem.

“And I want it to be announced that henceforth, no wake-keep should go past10 p.m. If you must pass 10 p.m., take written permission from the chairman of the local government, and both the chairman and the person that requested will be held responsible if any problem occurs.

“This should be widely circulated and properly announced. My problem is not that they blocked the governor, but my worry is supposing that it was a smaller person that was passing, who had no army and police, they would have robbed the person.”