A female counsellor and leader of the Etche Legislative Assembly in Rivers State, Cynthia Nwala, has cried out for justice after she was reportedly beaten and stripped by thugs on the orders of a security aide to the council chairman over a power tussle.

Nwala accused the Etche Chairman, Obinma Anyanwu, of masterminding her ordeal in the hands of the chief security officer of the council.

Speaking to our correspondent on the telephone on Tuesday, she said after the screening of supervisory councillors, she decided to go with the Assembly mace due to speculations that she would be impeached.

Nwala claimed that the deputy leader of the Assembly and some councillors, in connivance with the chairman, planned to remove her from office.

She, however, said since the council was under renovation, it was expedient for her to take the mace home for safety “as the leader of the Assembly.”

The lawmaker noted that she was shocked when the gate to the council was locked against her, alleging that the chairman then ordered the CSO to beat her up and strip her, even as her car was vandalised.

“The N1m cash meant for the flight tickets of my two sons to Germany was stolen in the process.

“I have reported the matter to the Okehi Police Division in Etche and the International Federation of Female Lawyers.

“All I want is justice. I am a married woman with four children. You can’t treat a woman in that manner and go scot-free. Justice must prevail,” she said.

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The council chairman, Anyanwu, denied asking anyone to manhandle the counsellor, adding that the CSO, Chinedu Onyeche, only joined others in the council to restore normalcy after a scuffle among the lawmakers.

Anyanwu, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Robinson Oluor, said a disagreement ensued among the lawmakers and the leader of the House attempted to go with the mace before she was intercepted.

The statement partly read, “For the record, Hon. (Dr.) Obinna Anyanwu never directed his chief security officer to harass, intimidate or assault any serving councillor of the Etche Legislative Assembly.

“The chief security officer to the council chairman is not a member of the Etche Legislative Assembly and will never be part of the internal issues of the Etche Legislative Assembly.

“The information made available to the Etche local government council has it that the Leader of the House, Cynthia Nwala, with the assistance of a team of armed policemen and over 20 armed thugs she hired, made a forceful attempt to take the mace, which is legislative property, and by administrative procedure is meant to be under the custody of the sergeant-at-arms.

“Some members of the Etche Legislative Assembly, who intercepted their House leader with the mace, alerted the chief security officer to the council, who was presently in Okehi, quickly intervened and restored sanity between Cynthia Nwala and her fellow councillors.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Nnamdi Omoni, confirmed the incident, adding that it was a case of assault.

He said, “I can confirm that the leader of the Etche Legislative Assembly was assaulted. Investigation has been ordered and we have invited the CSO.”