By Ajani Okanlawon
Hundreds of women protesting at the Women Development Centre in Owerri, the Imo State capital venue of President Goodluck Jonathan’s town hall meeting with traditional rulers led by Eze Cletus Ilomuanya, were Tuesday sprayed with teargas by security men who barricaded the road leading to the Centre.
The women, who defied all entreaties by the heads of the security agencies in the state, took over the roads leading to the venue of the town hall meeting, chanting anti-Jonathan slogans.
Scores of them were wounded, while several others suspected to be asthmatic fainted after inhaling the tear gas fume.
The Director General of the Centre, Hon Ndidi Iheme, stated that over 2500 women drawn from across the 27 Local Government Areas of the State were billed for a training at the centre on the conduct and role of women in the 2015 general elections.
She stated further that the centre has been locked up for the past five days without any explanation, adding that, “there is no court injunction whatsoever restraining us from having access to our office but we have been locked out for over five days without explanation.”
According to her, “we have slated a training for the women today at the centre and we came this morning to start but were denied entrance by the security men. We were not given any prior notice about the President’s visit or any information that the centre was going to be used for any town hall meeting of any sort and we have resolved that we are not going to allow this intimidation.”
Ilomuanya, who was deposed as a traditional ruler by Imo Governor, Rochas Okorocha, over his romance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was recognised by Jonathan, obviously to spite the state government.
