It was a day of decision for journalist in Abia Saturday, as the Mayor of Umuahia North LGA, Smart Ijeoma described the journalists in Abia as “imbeciles, criminals and mad people”.
Smart Ijeoma, who has since inception as the Mayor of Umuahia North LGA been deriding newsmen and had on several occasions, casting aspersions on the media, had at the end of the state monthly sanitation, gotten infuriated after the press refused to grant him interview at the premises of the Abia State High Court.
Iheoma had immediately started commanding the press to come back, describing himself as agbero (tout), and threatening to deal with them, unless they come back.
He started shouting, “what is the press – criminals, imbeciles, mad people. I will stop the press from covering governor’s events”.
Challenged by the press over that statement, the Mayor pointed at a Broadcasting Corporation of Abia State reporter, that of Love FM, Umuahia and the rest of the journalists who confronted him, stating further “I have marked all your faces. If I see you in any of my assignments, I will walk you out”.
He went to the extent of attempting a physical assault on a reporter but for the intervention of a state environmental figure who held tightly on him and dragged him back.
As a rresult therefore, people are wondering “inspite of all the trainings Gov. Alex Otti gave to the 17 Mayors in the state, some still behaves as people that have not received any orientation”.
Meanwhile, there are indication that the Abia Council of theNigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ may not take the insult lightly.
