Fresh round of protest on Wednesday rocked Owerri, the Imo State capital, as women activists protested the alleged “molestation of women” by agents of the Imo State government.
The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Women Rights Defenders (CWRD), sent a Save our Soul (SOS) message to the president’s wife, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, over what they described as calculated harassment and intimidation of the women by the state government, especially those with different political opinions.
A coalition of Igbo women and other groups had tackled the government over the alleged assault of Mrs. Uloma Nwosu, daughter of former Governor Rochas Okorocha, by members of the Committee on the Recovery of Government Property.
The group insisted that the assault has forced women with different political views to live in fear. It appealed to Mrs. Buhari to reign in the Imo State government to respect the rights and liberties of women.
The women carried placards with inscriptions like “First lady Aisha Buhari, please rescue Imo women”; “Imo women deserve peace and protection”; “We say no to harassment of women”; “Women in opposition parties are no longer safe in Imo”.
A communiqué read by Lilian Enyi said: “In the last five weeks or thereabouts, virtually all female opposition politicians in Imo State and our little children have lived in perpetual fear, agony and trepidation because of the unholy and unprecedented molestation, harassment and intimidation of our people, especially women.
“The government has shown disheartening disregard for women in Imo State especially and the nation in general. Besides, the attack on Okorocha’s daughter, the Recovery Committee has physically attacked appointees of the last government, as well as business interests of prominent women.”
The group appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to protect Imo women from further attacks and embarrassment.
