* Threatens to sue newspaper, reporter
The Minority Whip in the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Mike Ukoha, has described as false, baseless and provocative, a news report in Vanguard Newspaper of March 31 captioned: 7 feared dead, 4 missing in Akwa Ibom over renewed attack by Abia community.
The report portrayed the people of Arochukwu community as aggressors, which the lawmaker frowned at.
The lawmaker conveyed his displeasure with the report through a statement issued on his behalf by his media assistant, Chimezie Okoroafor.
The statement read in part:
RE-”7 feared dead, 4 missing in Akwa Ibom over renewed attack by Abia community”
The attention of the office of the Minority Whip/member representing Arochukwu State Constituency in the Abia House of Assembly has been drawn to a Vanguard Newspaper Publication of March 31, 2021, with the title ”7 feared dead, 4 missing in Akwa Ibom over renewed attack by Abia community”, by one Chioma Onuegbu, which accused the people of Arochukwu Kingdom of killing 7 of Ikpanja indigenes of Akwa Ibom State and raped their women…
Frowning at the story, the lawmaker requested the Journalist and author of the story – Chioma Onuegbu – to immediately withdraw the publication and tender an unreserved apology to the people of Arochukwu, failing which he would be left with no option than to brief his team of lawyers to take necessary steps to seek legal redress in the appropriate place.
The statement explained that the fracas between people of Ugbo village in Arochukwu and their Akwa Ibom neighbors happened on March 12 and 13, 2021, adding that a young man from Arochukwu was killed and beheaded.
The lawmaker in the statement wondered why the Journalist should stoke embers of disunity by whipping up sentiments through her false publication in Vanguard newspaper, when truly nothing of that nature happened.
While urging the management of the newspaper company to re-assess the true journalistic qualification of the reporter, Ukoha also urged the discerning public to ignore the report and treat it as false, saying that talks are ongoing between the two communities for a peaceful resolution of their differences.