KINGSLEY EBERE
The Ezendigbo in Ejigbo Kingdom, Lagos State, Eze Nicholas Njoku, has reacted over the purported shooting by his Police aides during his New Yam Festival, which attracted criticism from some journalists.
P.M.EXPRESS reports that Eze Njoku stated that it was an eye opener, which has tasked him to do better as one of the custodians of Igbo culture and tradition in Lagos State.
“As the Eze of Ejigbo, I have invited you people (the press) to hear from you and for you to hear from me concerning the shooting incident at the just concluded New Yam Festival. I am a man of peace and to like peace, you have a lot to sacrifice for peace to reign. I have been trying to manage the situation to hear from one or two people about what happened and it has been somehow difficult for me to understand. This is why I invited the press to hear from you and likewise.”
“What happened was that the Igbo community in Ejigbo to be specific, Aigbaka Ejigbo, which I am their Eze, celebrated Our New Yam festival on 30th September, 2023. At the event, the crowd was much; after the event, I started seeing on social media that some people were assaulted. I inquired further and I heard that there was rapid shooting in the air by Policemen. I am aware that I had two Policemen attached to me and I know these men are well educated on what to do in any situation. However, the fact remains that on that very day, the pressure was much and the crowd was much also with many dignitaries, who attended and equally came with their Police escorts. So, it was after the event that I heard reports of shooting and assaults at the event. I am not disputing the said occurrences because I was not the one holding a rifle. What I am not sure of is the actual Police man, who shot or assaulted anyone.”
“Actually there wasn’t any casualty but I noticed at a stage the Policemen trying to close the gate to block people from coming in because the crowd was much. It was also reported that some boys were trying to get in. Immediately, I summoned the head of security at the school gate and he explained why these boys were not allowed in citing them as people that might disrupt the event. But I insisted that the event is free for all and there are Policemen, who can handle such situations if need arises. So, I do not know the exact thing that caused the shooting in the air. The men attached to me had asked their colleagues on that day and nobody seemed to have done such shooting. There were so many Policemen and even Army officers, OPC and others who were present that day.”
“Rumours also spread that someone or some journalists came to me reporting about the violent activities of the Police that day and that I challenged them. I want to clarify that such a thing never happened and nobody came to me. As a peacemaker and a United Nations Ambassador, I will not do such or allow such an incident to happen hence the reason I called this press briefing. I cannot work without the journalists and I cannot fight journalists. They are important to the society and I know they are needed both now and in the future. So, I cannot disobey their advice or fail to listen to their complaints.”
“Also about the complaints laid about Policemen telling journalists to go home if they can’t stand the shooting, I want to state that I asked my Police escort and such claims were refuted. However, there were many visiting Police officers and it’s not all of them we can reach.”
“In conclusion, I have a great job to do for my people to bring peace and unity for my people ‘the Igbos’ and the society at large but I must start from somewhere. All that allegedly occured during this event is an eye opener for me and the journalist, who have criticised this event online have challenged me to do better and I want to apologise to them and draw them closer because their criticisms had been an eye opener of what needs to be done to become better.”