Ebonyi Lawmaker Raises Alarm Over Stone Blasting

A member representing Afikpo North West in the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon Kingsley Ikoro yesterday expressed sadness over the number of collapsed buildings, cracked buildings, health and other environmental hazards witnessed in Amata Amagu Village in Ibii Community following stone blasting by a construction company.

Ikoro, who expressed the concern at the floor of the State Assembly during its sitting, noted that many have been hospitalized while others have lost their homes and properties and called for immediate action against further blasting less than a kilometer to the residential areas.

Ikoro who is the leader of the Ebonyi State House of Assembly, described the action of the company as wicked and inhuman and wondered why a quarry company would be blasting stones less than just one kilometer to residential homes against the mining regulation template of the Ebonyi State Government.

“The action of the company can best be described as wicked and inhuman to man. You cannot have a quarry site where you do blasting less than a kilometre to where there are residential areas. Quarry sites are supposed to be situated at least three kilometres away from residential areas.

Ikoro also expressed the concern that apart from causing environmental and health hazards to the people of the area, the company also took the mineral resources gotten from the host community to build roads in other communities neglecting the host community.

“It’s so sad that the quarry company will destroy the houses of the residents, put their lives in danger, yet take the mineral resources gotten from the community elsewhere to do roads while that of the host community are death traps. That is simply wicked,” he said.