By; PATRICK TITUS, Uyo
Akwa Ibom State house of Assembly has placed an indefinite suspension on the chairman of Abak Local Government Area, Barrister Imoh Williams over a trending video of assault on a member of the public.
In his place, the Vice Chairman of the council, Mrs. Benita Ukpe has been mandated to take over the affairs of the council while investigations are on.
The suspension which was declared during Thursday plenary came through a motion moved by the House Leader, Mr Udo Kirian Akpan and duly seconded by Mr Aniekan Uko, who both noted that the act was capable of jeopadizing the image of Akwa Ibom State and the character of the council chairman.
The House has therefore committed the case to the committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the act and remommendations communicated to the house within one month.
The house also called on the Nigeria Police to fastrack investigation on the criminal aspects of the matter.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the plenary, the Chairman House Committee on Information and Member representing Etinan State Constituency, Barr Aniefiok Dennis said the steps were taken to redeem the image of the state, and to ensure protection of citizens of the state.
He cautioned public office holders to be mindful of their public conducts, as the seventh assembly would not telerate any act of rascality on the part of public office holders.
Dennis however assured that due process will be followed and the Abak Council Chairman will be given the opportunity for fair hearing before major decisions are taken on the matter.
“The seventh assembly owes every Akwa Ibom person, including the victim of that assault some sense of protection. But we want to assure the Abak Council Chairman and the people of Abak that he will be given the opportunity for fair hearing. We also want to sound a note of warning to other public office holders that we would not telorate any act of assult on members of the public”. He said
The action by House followed a directive by the state governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel urging the Assembly to commence full investigations into a trending case of assult suspected to be on the directive of the Chairman, Abak LGA.
The Governor’s position was in connection with a trending video of physical assult on a man accused to have insulted the council boss over a N75,000 debt.
The victim who had pleaded for leniency as captured in the trending video was laid face down, with a man’s leg pressing down his head, was later mercilessly flogged after some minutes of interrogations.
The interrogator querried thus; “Do you realize that an insult on Abak Local Government Chairman was an insult on the entire Abak people? Are you ready to go and delete that post? Among other querries
Reacting to such assult on a member of the public by a public office holder, Governor Udom Emmanuel said
“I roundly condemn the assault that took place at Abak Local Government Council, currently circulating on the social media. Such actions are unacceptable in a civilized society and does not represent our core values in the state. I have advised the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly to commence full investigations into the matter”.
