Ohaji/Egbema Local Government Area in Imo State, have cried out to the
Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Ecclesiastical Province, His Grace, Dr.
Anthony Obinna, over alleged attrocities being committed by their sons
and daughers in the area.
The women visited Archbishop Obinna at the Maria Assumpta Catholic
Cathedral, Owerri, where they complained that they were being raped by
their own sons on daily basis.
"We are raped and molested by our own children. You cannot come to
Mgbuishii and return home safely because of the crime," the women told
Archbishop Obinna.
They further said that they had complained to both the state
government and other law enforcement agents but regretted that they
were yet to find solutions to the atrocities committed by their
children.
They said: "We are angry because government is not looking at our
direction at all. We have been completely abandoned for years.
Now, we have no good roads, no electricity, no market and nothing is
going on in our place. To make things worse, we are now suffering from
insecurity."
Continuing, the aggrieved women also revealed that their sons take
over the roads leading to their community on each of their market days
and rob people, adding that this explained why people had stopped
coming to buy farm produce from their market.
No Police presence
While lamenting that there is no police presence in the community, the
spokes-woman, however, expressed shock that when they report anything
to the police, they ultimately found themselves in more trouble as
they ended up being molested the more.
"Also, each time we report cases to the police and they manage to send
their men at all, the criminals beat them (policemen) up because they
(criminals) parade more sophisticated weapons than what the policemen
have. We needed police escort to get here (Maria Assumpta Cathedral)
and we will also need them to go back home," the women said.
On lack of social amenities in the area, the spokeswoman said the
community had no roads, primary or secondary schools as well as health
facilities, adding that they had been completely abandoned by the
various tiers of government, even as they pointed out to the
Archbishop that most of them were already planning to relocate to
safer communities in Rivers State.
"Even the Reverend Father in our place is complaining and threatening
to go away. About two weeks ago, some reverend sisters visited our
place and were waylaid on the road and robbed. We have a lot of
problems and that is why the women have come to complain to the
Archbishop, who is our father in the Lord", the women added.
Responding, Obinna commi-serated with the women over their plight and
pleaded with them not to take laws into their hands.
While stressing the need for proper upbringing of children by parents
in the fear of the Lord, the cleric, however, recalled some bizarre
things that are now happening in the society. He prayed and blessed
the women for being courageous enough to bring the sordid happenings
to limelight.
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