Ebonyi State Government has set up a five-man committee to investigate the torture and abuse of the human right of Pastor Okochi Obeni a social critic who was punished with 36strokes of cane by the Isi-oru age grade for posting what they called fake news against their council chairman.
Governor Umahi gave the order in his office on Friday while signing five bills into law.
According to the governor who charged his deputy Kelechi Igwe to set up the committee to investigate the assault within two weeks, condemned totally the torture melted on the clergyman.
His words ” I have directed that a committee of 5-man should investigate the human right abuses in Afikpo North. This is very important because even if there are traditional method of settling issues, while you are doing it and if it is working for you, why are you videoing it and uploading it in the social media.
” We also want to know whether it happened because some people framed it to destroy the system.
” So a committee is going to work on it to find out what actually happened”
“The committee is given two weeks to carry that assignment to guide the state government in taking action against those involved and also because we are concerned about the rights of our people in ensuring they are not violated”.
Recall that the cleric and social critic in Amasiri community, Afikpo North local government area of the Ebonyi state, Pastor Oko Chukwu Obeni, had earlier narrated how he was tortured to near death by leaders of his community identified as Essa, Eto and Isioru , over a post he made on his Facebook handle against their local government chairman which they consider as slanderous and action capable of jeopardizing existing peace in the area.
and then