Ike Ekweremadu Members Of Staff Attacked In Enugu State

Barely 24 hours after some members of staff of his non-governmental organisation (NGO), Ikeoha Foundation, were allegedly attacked, the Deputy Senate President,  Ike Ekweremadu, on Thursday threatened to ensure that those behind the “dastardly act” were fished out and prosecuted.

Ekweremadu who spoke at the grand finale of the Foundation’s 4-day Enugu West free eye treatment project at Mpu in Aninri Local Government Area of Enugu State, accused political thugs of masterminding the alleged attack.

He said about 10 of his staff were attacked on Wednesday during similar exercise at Oghe in Ezeagu Local Government Area of the state.

While condemning the attack, he said information reaching him indicated that officials of the local government area masterminded the attack, adding that: “Those who did that will be jailed, they may run but will never escape justice.”

The affected persons were reportedly at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church, Oghe, venue of the Foundation’s free eye treatment project.

The senator however assured the people of Ezeagu that a new date would be fixed for a repeat of the exercise, saying he would extend the eye treatment project beyond Enugu West senatorial district so that other parts of the state would benefit from the programme.

While thanking traditional rulers, staff of the Foundation and other stakeholders for trooping out en mass for the exercise, the deputy senate president said they would not tolerate acts capable of causing breakdown of law and order in the senatorial zone.
It is said that several people in each of the five Local Government Areas of Enugu West senatorial districts, including Awgu, Aninri, Udi, Oji River and Ezeagu, are expected to benefit from free eye treatment, free drugs, free eye glasses and free eye surgeries which had commenced on November 17 in partnership with Community Eye Savers.

Ekweremadu said the eye treatment project was aimed at ensuring that the people he represents have sound mind and body noting that the intervention became more imperative when he discovered that participants of Adult Education programme of his Foundation were having challenges coping with the learning process due to poor eye sights.

In a remark during the grand finale, the Executive Director of Ikeoha Foundation, Mrs. Cindy Ezeugwu, said the project was another proof of Ekweremadu’s commitment to continuously empower the people of Enugu West, by initiating and carrying out visible programmes intended to better the lives of the people.
She said free eye treatment project was designed in line with the vision 2020 mandate of the World Health Organisation (WHO) which is “Prevention of avoidable causes of blindness.”