Panic and confusion gripped residents of Abakaliki as suspected armed hoodlums stormed the Ebonyi State capital on Monday, October 26, 2020, invaded the Central Police Station and set ablaze the police post even as they shot sporadically into the air while chanting war songs. Normalcy was later restored when security operatives gave the hoodlums a hot chase, forcing them to retreat.

Initial reports said that Governor Dave Umahi, Government House staff, journalists and contractors were trapped in the old Government House during the invasion but the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Barr. Uchenna Orji, dismissed the reports.

He told News Express: “There is no iota of truth in the reports. His Excellency was not trapped. The hoodlums were chased away.”

The Commissioner described Ebonyi as a peaceful state, alleging that the invasion and previous acts of lawlessness in the wake of the #EndSARS protests were by hoodlums from outside the state

He assured that the State Government has put in place all necessary measures to carry out the demands of #EndSARS protesters, and appealed to all to give peace a chance.