Deplorable section of Igbo-Etche road in Rivers

Okafor Ofiebor/Port Harcourt

Barely three days after the suspension of one week blockade of the Eleme axis of the East-West Road by Ogoni youths, their counterparts in Igbo-Etche, in Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State have vowed to replicate similar action on poor roads in their community.

The angry youths of Igbo-Etche specifically vowed to block the road linking them with Eleme Junction in protest over the deplorable condition of the road.

In  addition to the deplorable condition of the road and the negative effects on vehicles, the youths said the bad spots now have remained safe havens for criminals to attack innocent passengers and  motorists  on daily basis.

Speaking to journalists yesterday in the area, some of the youths expressed concerns over the continued neglect of the deplorable road by the federal and state governments despite various crimes perpetrated there.

Deplorable section of Igbo-Etche road in Rivers

“This road has been bad for a long time and we have been crying because of it. Now criminals are committing all sorts of atrocities here. They kidnap people. They kill people. They rob people. They rape our women. Everybody is hearing what is happening on this road every day, but still, nothing is happening.

“We’re going to block this road so that the state and federal government will know that we’re serious about it. Maybe if Eleme people didn’t protest, the government wouldn’t have come. We will do our own protest and block this road so that they will hear us too,” one of the youths said.

“They know how important this road is in this State. Our people are mainly farmers and they usually carry their farm products through this road to the city. But these criminals will wait for them on this bad road and collect all their money. They will kidnap them and rape the women. Because they know that cars will slow down on the had spots, they will wait for them there with their guns.”

They also complained kidnapping, killing and raping of women on regular basis on the road.

They further lamented that once it is 4 or 5 p.m., nobody passes the road again.

” We’re going to block this road and when we block it during our protest, we will not leave until something is done,” he said.

The President of Edegelem Big Brothers Association,  Dr Onyeche Chinwendu Frank, had earlier called the attention of the state and federal governments to the horrible condition of the road, appealing for urgent repair measures to save motorists from the hazards caused by the road.