Imo: Speaker Emeziem On Fire As Police Escort Shoots At Motorist

By Adesina Soyooye

After what most people saw as an incident-free Ward Congress by the All Progressives Cogress, APC, on Saturday, July 31, in Imo State,  an incident which involved the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Honourable Paul Emeziem, has put a stain on the exercise.

A power-drunk Police escort, on Emeziem’s convoy, shot at the tyre of a moving vehicle, and punctured it. It was by God’s grace that the motorist was not killed or injured.

The ugly incident took place  when the Speaker was on his way home after taking part in the Congress.

According to eye witness accounts, on getting to Nkwoji junction, along Okigwe-Owerri road, the Speaker’s convoy encountered a vehicle – an SUV –  which was ahead of his convoy, and was already, before the convoy’s arrival, negotiating to turn into a road, leading to Obazu, Mbieri.

It was not possible for the motorist to abort his negotiation to the right. Doing that, mid-road, could have caused an accident, since his vehicle would, automatically, block the road.

But one of the Policemen on  the Speaker’s convoy thought otherwise. He shot at one of the tyres of the vehicle, demobilizing the vehicle.

Shocked  onlookers wondered at such brazen abuse of power, but thanked God that  the motorist was neither killed nor injured in the process.

They are right. It could have been worse.

In 2020, a DSS escort on the convoy of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, engaged in such a brazen show of power. He fired a shot, claiming that some young men were approaching, uncomfortably, close to the Speaker, as he stopped to exchange banters with Newspaper vendors. The unnecessary “firing” killed a  vendor.

Gbajabiamila was ignorant of the incident until he got home. But he immediately took responsibility. He not only publicly apologized to the Vendors and the deceased’s family, he wrote off the funeral expenses, and took over the welfare of the Vendor’s wife and children. He also handed over the overzealous policeman to the Police authorities for necessary action.

Back to Imo State, the recklessness of some Policemen on former Governor Ikedi Ohakim’s convoy was one of the reasons he failed to secure a second term in office as Governor.

Security men in one of his escort vehicles had beaten up a Roman Catholic Rev. Father for not making way fast enough for the Governor’s convoy. They beat the Priest black and blue. On learning of the incident, Ohakim, in company with some of his Cabinet members, immediately went to the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri Archdiocese, His Grace Anthony Obinna, to explain and apologise. But the harm had been done.

The story and propaganda out there were that Governor Ohakim ordered for, and supervised the beating of the Priest. Another story was that Ohakim did the beating himself. False, as it was, he was not able to wash off the stain then.

In the instant case, an Aide to  Speaker Emeziem said the Speaker who was tired after a busy day,  and was asleep in his car at the time, was unaware of the incident  until he got home. The aide said the Speaker has apologized for the incident.

But not a few Imolites are asking for more.

They want the Speaker to do three things:

*Invite the motorist and apologize personally to him.

*Replace his tyre for him.

*Remove the overzealous Policeman from his convoy, and have him charged for reckless shooting.