By Kelechi Esogwa-Amadi
The recent assault on the leader of Etche Legislative Assembly, Cynthia Nwala, by thugs allegedly sent by the chief security officer of the council, leaves much to be desired.
The assault further cast a slur on the corporate image of the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State whose chairman, Obinna Anyanwu, recently came under criticism from some residents of the area who accused him of non performance, an allegation the chairman’s aides went on air to deny.
The assault on Cynthia Nwala, whose attackers partly stripped naked, has, for the umpteenth time, brought to question the state of morality, sense of decency, regard for social norms and respect for motherhood and the rights of the opposite sex, in 21st century Nigeria, especially among the political class. Power, they say, intoxicates; and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
This is the bane of some Nigerian cum African politicians although the ugly trend appears to be growing more among the younger ones. Nigerians won’t forget in a hurry how a certain Senator Elisha Abbo assaulted a lady inside a sex toy shop in Abuja two years ago, just one month after joining the Senate, though he later apologised for his action.
Cases of abuse of power in the public sector abound in our society, resulting in the high level corruption, looting, intimidation, harassment and assault being witnessed today – such as the one involving Mrs Cynthia Nwala, the leader of Etche Legislative Assembly. Looking at this latest show of shame, one can’t help but wonder the rationale behind it.
If there was an ongoing plot by a few persons working for their personal interest which they planned to achieve by having access to the mace, what is wrong in the Leader of the Assembly trying to protect the mace – which is the symbol of legislative authority – to preclude those few persons from using it to achieve their aim that could jeopardise the collective interest of the entire Legislative Assembly?
Moreover, if she pre-informed the chairman of the Council of her plan to go home with the mace for protective reasons and the chairman didn’t object, as she claimed in her statement, why then should she be attacked by thugs believed to be acting on orders from ‘above’? If the authorities of the Council or the Legislative Assembly view her attempt to go home with the mace as an offence, why not instruct her to return it to the Chambers rather than send thugs to assault her? And since they want to send thugs, if their target was to collect the mace back and not to disgrace her, why not instruct their thugs not to touch her but simply go for the mace? With such display of sheer recklessness, how can the thugs and the Etche Council authorities convince the world that their action was not a calculated attempt to demean Hon. Mrs Cynthia Nwala by subjecting her to such ignominy? Cynthia herself hinted on this conspiracy in part of her statements on air.
She said: “…I don’t know why the council chairman is doing that. I can show you the picture of the deputy leader who is working with the chairman. One of them called and told me they had a meeting with the chairman, that I should be careful.”
The assault on Mrs Cynthia Nwala is an assault on the womenfolk, including those holding public offices. Men in public office should learn to respect their female counterparts because they’re all rendering the same service; they’re all serving the people. Therefore, there’s no justification for female public servants to be intimidated, witch-hunted, harassed, ill-treated and/or assaulted by their male colleagues for whatever reason. If a public servant errs, official correctional measures should be applied in consonance with legally approved due processes instead of resorting to assault or violence.
The assault on Mrs Cynthia Nwala in which her clothes was torn, revealing her bra and part of her body, is a violation of her right to dignity as a woman. Also, smashing the rear screen of her car is a violation of her right to own property. Wilful damage of one’s property is a criminal offence, let alone when done as part of an attack.
Cynthia’s attackers and their sponsors should therefore be made to face the law. If they are allowed to go free, the trend of assaults on women will continue. It’s commendable that some women from Etche LGA and some female undergraduates, on Thursday, 7th October, 2021, staged a protest at the Rivers State government House over the matter, demanding for full investigation into it and an end to violence against women.
Also laudable is the fact that many people in Rivers State and beyond, human rights groups, civil society organisations and women groups have been condemning the incident, demanding that the perpetrators of the act should be brought to book.
All women, including those in public office, should rise up and condemn this assault on their fellow woman. It is Cynthia Nwala today, tomorrow it could be any of them hence the need for them to be unrelenting in their demand for justice. Else, they will continue to be treated as endangered species, which they shouldn’t be, given their prime importance in society. Not too long ago, the media was awash with the news of a woman who was battered by her husband’s brother. The incident also happened in Etche. Thus, Cynthia’s case is simply one out of many other cases of assault on defenceless women.
All eyes are now on the Rivers State Police Command to do the needful. Interestingly, the police has promised to launch full investigation into the matter. Beyond the investigation, the police should ensure that the perpetrators of the ignoble act are made to face the full weight of the law. The Governor of Rivers State, Chief Barr Nyesom Wike, who is commendably noted for carrying women along in his government, to the extent that every vice chairman of an LGA in Rivers is a woman, should also wade into this matter and ensure that it is not swept under the carpet. Moreover, cases of assault such as the one involving Mrs Cynthia Nwala and other defenceless Nigerian citizens has made it imperative for all the state governments to begin to domestic and implement the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act 2015.
This Act, which was signed into law by former president, Goodluck Jonathan, on May 25, 2015, is meant to put an end to all forms of violence against all persons, especially the defenceless.
Summarily, a synopsis to the Act, written by the Women’s Aid Collective (WACOL), states that this law “is aimed to eliminate violence in private and public life, prohibit all forms of violence, including sexual, psychological, domestic, harmful traditional practices, discrimination against persons and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies for victims and punishment of offenders.
“Political violence and violence by state actors are also violations of this Act. The Act makes provision for protection order for victims and persons under threat of violence as well as compensation for victims of violence.”
As the assault on Cynthia Nwala continues to generate unpleasant ripples, using the case to pioneer the implementation of the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Law might serve as a better deterrent.
