David Umahi, the governor of Ebonyi state has denied ordering his security aides to flog civil servants at the government house for coming late.
NewsWireNGR reports that a viral video was shared on Tuesday was posted on Twitter with the caption; “So, today in Ebonyi, @GovDaveUmahi went for a project inspection & then instructs the soldiers to flog – yes flog! – civil servants who arrived late. Not done, Dave Umahi supervised the flogging. Tomorrow, he’ll be rewarded with seat in @NGRSenate”
Debunking the allegation, Umahi in a statement signed by the state’s Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Orji Uchenna Orji described the controversial video as doctored and manipulated, however, disclosed that the incident was an aborted attempt by miscreants to block the Airport gate in the guise that they were enforcing a sit-at-home order.
Umahi made the rebuttal on Tuesday night in a statement signed by the state’s Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Orji Uchenna Orji made available to newsmen and.
The statement reads, ” Our attention has been drawn to a doctored footage purporting to be Civil Servants rolling on the ground and being flogged by security personnel in the presence of the Governor of Ebonyi State while on inspection at the Government House gate, Abakaliki as reported …shared widely in different social media platforms and accepted line hook and sinker by the gullible.
“We wish to inform members of the public that the purported footage is a video manipulation of an aborted attempt by miscreants to block the Airport gate and inflict fear on those working at the on going International Airport and possibly embarrass the Governor who was on a routine inspection visit to the Airport project, in guise that they were enforcing sit-at home- order at the premises of the Airport on Tuesday, 4th September,2022.
“It would be recalled that miscreants had in the past tried to attack those working at the Airport site and their plots were neutralized
“Contrary to the fake report that the incident happened \ at the gate of the Government House in Abakaliki while the Governor was on supervision, the miscreants were dispelled at the gate of the new Airport under construction. It is to be noted that no Civil Servants or employees whatsoever have been recruited to work in the Airport and so no Civil Servant was flogged at the Airport gate, contrary to impression in the trending report. We are therefore surprised at the basis of the unintelligent fabrications of the mischief makers.
“There is no amount of blackmail that can distract the performing Governor of Ebonyi State, His Excellency Engr Chief David Nweze Umahi FNSE FNATE who had visited the Airport to carry out his routine inspection of projects as regular inspection of projects is one the reasons why we pride with quality assurance in our policy of monitoring and evaluation in Government businesses.
“Members of the public are therefore enjoined to discountenance the manipulated trending video as the handiwork of enemies of progress.”
