Hundreds of women of the Ntsuruakpa Izhia community in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have protested against alleged abandoned road in the state, lamenting that the project site has been causing deadly accidents.
They said the abandoned project is the Abakaliki-Enugu highway.
The women who blocked the Abakaliki-Enugu dualised road by Senator Sam Egwu Flyover Ezzamgbo junction in Ohaukwu council area on Tuesday, expressed sadness over the slow pace of the road project which, according to them, has turned to death trap.
Speaking with journalists, leader of the group, Mrs Blessing Okweshi, lamented that the alleged abandoned project has been causing accidents resulting in deaths of those plying the route, especially the residents.
Okweshi said, “The worst among the deadly accidents occurred on this road last Sunday, and it consumed the lives of a pregnant mother with her unborn baby and a man on the spot.
“The victim’s name is Chika Unah, a mother of three, and she was killed on the abandoned road by a lorry driver, who ran away without reporting to any police station to date since the accident occurred last Sunday.
“Many lives have been lost along this Abakaliki-Enugu highway, and you can see how potholes on the roads, with heaps littered on the roads without road signs since 2024 till date.
“That is why we massively came out to stage a peaceful protest, to condemn this ugly act because our people are tired of dying like fowls because of the slow pace of the road project execution.”
Other women, including Hellen Nweonwe and Obiageri Owoh, among others, also expressed dismay over the abandonment of the road project and described the route as a death trap.
They maintained that the demonstration was to register their grievances to the state governor, Francis Nwifuru, the contractor and general public and, however, expressed their readiness to declare a full showdown protest if the relevant authorities refused to address their complaints.
Reacting to the development, the traditional ruler of Ntsuruakpa Izhia community, Eze Joseph Ozogbuo Okafor, blamed the contractor handling the road project and called for urgent action to avert accidents causing the death of those plying the route, especially the residents.
He called on the state and federal governments to intervene immediately to ensure fast completion of the project, saying, “everyone is weeping over the gory nature of the road and its deadly effects since last year.”
The Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Ikechukwu Odono, who came to the scene of the protest, urged the women to embrace peace by going back to their various homes, with assurance that the contractor would be compelled to hasten up the work pace without any further delay.
Also, the State Commissioner for Capital Territory and Urban Development, Sunday Inyima, advised the protesters to embrace peace with assurance that the relevant authorities would address their demands without delay.
