Ten councillors including a journalist and cameraman have been injured at Odoro Ikpe, headquarters of Ini local government area of Akwa Ibom State as armed hoodlums stormed a meeting summoned by aggrieved councillors to scrutinise the books of the council.
LEADERSHIP Friday learnt that the meeting was to verify alleged financial discrepancies under the current tenure of Umah, who was also accused of withholding statutory funds, including allowances for the protesting councillors.
According to the councillors who stormed the Correspondent Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Akwa Ibom State Council, to present their grievances, “the chairman lacks the virtues of accountability, openness and abuse of office since he came into power in October, 2024.”
“The chairman runs Ini council alone and only functions on social media, Facebook, WhatsApp. If you come to Council, nothing is happening,” they argued.
The leader of the Legislative Council, Mr Donald Usoroh, who was heavily injured on the leg, narrated the ordeals of his colleagues, and recalled that “the Chairman invaded the plenary with over dozens of hired thugs.”
Usoroh, who was surrounded by seven other councillors out of the 11, said they were thoroughly assaulted and beaten by the hoodlums, disclosing that trouble started when they presented a letter of invitation to the Chairman to brief the Legislative Council on incomes and expenditures as part of their oversight functions as enshrined in the Council by – laws; section 28, subsections ‘C’ and ‘F’.
“Today is a sad day for democracy in Ini LGA, and for the Legislators across Nigeria. Here with me is the by -law enacted by the State House of Assembly.
We have here functions and powers of the Legislative Council. Section 28 and subsection ‘C’, says that the legislator is mandated to examine and debate the monthly statement of incomes and expenditures tendered by the Chairman of the Local Government Council.
“Section ‘F’ says they also have the powers to exercise such oversight functions as may enhance the smooth running of the council. Sadly, in Ini Local Government, since we came on board on Oct. 9, 2024, the Local Government Chairman, Mr Inibehe Umah, has refused us to exercise these legislative powers.
“So, on June 2, 2026, we tried exercising these powers as enshrined in these administrative laws.
We wrote to the chairman, through the clerk, inviting him to come and present to us the income and expenditure for the period of one year.
“Sadly, when we went there today for our plenary, which we usually have every Tuesday, the Chairman, Mr Inibehe Umah, mobilised thugs over 100 to come and harass us, beat us, desecrate our chambers,” Usoroh, said.
He disclosed that several councillors sustained varying degrees of injuries, while mobile phones belonging to the lawmakers were damaged including two cameras seized from a local journalist, who was also brutalized along with his cameraman.
The Council leader, therefore, appealed to Governor Umo Eno, to call the council chairman to order, so as not to further breach the prevailing peace in the state.
However, Chairman Umah could not be reached as his phone was switched -off at the time of filing this report.
