The Enugu State House of Assembly has formed an ad hoc committee to develop realistic solutions to govern masquerade activities in the state.
This comes after a bunch of masquerades abused a female nurse, Ms Blessing Ogbonna, in Ihe-Owerre, Nsukka Local Government Area of the state and left her hospitalized.
The ad hoc committee was formed on Tuesday in Enugu in response to a motion made by Mr Malachy Onyechi to address human rights violations, threats to life, and property destruction by masquerades in the Nsukka West Constituency.
Onyechi, who represents the Nsukka West seat, stated that the scourge of masquerade in his region was worrying, since many people had been hurt or killed in the process.
The lawmaker stated that the recent maltreatment of Ogbonna elicited widespread condemnation and outrage from both inside and beyond the state.
He stated that he had reached out to her to assess the damage and offer his assistance. However, this would not be the first time that mistaken masquerades and their followers have perpetrated violence, since there is enough recorded documentation.
The seven masquerades were apprehended and prosecuted in Nsukka magistrate court with assault, extortion, and blocking a federal route.
This resolution seeks to unify practices and standards of involvement in the practice of masquerade as part of cultural display, entertainment, or commercial reasons in such a manner that parties are protected against abuse.
This appeal to action does not ignore cases in which masquerade has been handled unfairly by individuals, organised organisations, or security services. Therefore, this motion is not designed to witch-hunt somebody or group, but rather to harmonise systems and practices.
The lawmaker also decried the behaviour of obstructing highways, preventing personnel such as nurses who provide crucial services from executing their responsibilities.
Mr Pius Ezugwu, representing Nsukka East Constituency, supported the motion and stated that the problem of masquerade had nearly created strife between two groups in his constituency.
