NINE PERSONS IN POLICE CUSTODY FOR KILLINGS IN EDDA EBONYI STATE
Afikpo South Local Government Area, also known as Edda, in Ebonyi State has in the past one month recorded security breaches resulting in the gruesome murder of at least three young men, gun violence and destruction of property in some parts of the Council area.
The situation became more worrisome few days ago when a twenty year old man was almost buried alive by yet to be identified gun men in one of the communities in the area.
In this special report, Correspondent Amechi Odo takes a look at security challenges in the Council Area and efforts by the government to address the problem.
” they say na me carry that gun shoot that guy, they carry me go Ekoli, carry me go Ibuo, dig ground carry me put there cover me with sand remaining my head”
That was Mr. Sunday Orji narrating how he narrowly escaped being buried alive in Afikpo South Local Government Area by suspected political thugs, who abducted him from his village, Ogwuma and taken to Ekoli, a neighbouring community.
According to Mr. Orji, the thugs, who claimed to be avenging the killing of one of them who was shot dead last week, had forced him into a ditch where he was almost covered up with sand before a woman ran into the bush and rescued him.
”That woman come pass, here my voice, en tell bike (motorcycle) stop come ran into the bush, those boys come run she put hand and pulled me up,” Mr. Orji further narrated.
The attempted murder of Sunday Orji highlights the level of political violence in Afikpo South Local Government Area with consequential deaths and maiming.
The Traditional Ruler of Umunna Community in the area, Ezeogo Dickson Obo and a stakeholder, Comrade Okenwa Uka, alleged that politicians, who were sponsoring the dastardly act, were not hidden and called on security agencies to fish them out.
According to Ezeogo Obo, “this is not the first and second time, the community is so sad.”
“These people are people that are known to be sponsored by political leaders in our own very local government,” Comrade Uka cried out.
The Commissioner for Internal Security in Ebonyi State, Mr. Stanley Okoroemegha, explained that the State Government had set up a fact finding committee to unmask those behind the killings and other violent activities in the Local Government Area.
”It’s no longer going to be a government thing, the community, Edda will be involved and rise up against those people, we will not leave anyone,” the Commissioner insisted.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) in Ebonyi State, Mrs. Loveth Oda, told Radio Nigeria that nine prime suspects in connection with the recent killings and violence in the affected communities were in police custody and would be prosecuted.
The PPRO said ”though we arrested thirty-six of them, but they were screened and nine detained, investigations are on going and more will be arrested.”
Mrs. Oda said the Police Command had also redeployed the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the Local Government Area and sent a crack team led by a Chief Superintendent of Police to restore sanity to the area.
AMECHI ODO