90 arrested with council boss, lawmaker over Ebonyi community crisis

 

 

By NATIONAL PANEL Reporters

Ebonyi Police Command on Sunday arrested at least 60 suspected hoodlums allegedly hired by some political big fishes to cause mayhem in Effium community of Ohaukwu Council Area in the state following an erupted crisis in the National Union of Road Transport Workers, NURTW, in the area. 

Earlier, Ebonyi Police Commissioner Aliyu Garba on the same Sunday arrested Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Clement Odah and lawmaker representing Ohaukwu North State Constituency, Chinedu Awọ over the recent killings and destruction of properties in the community for an interrogation.

Also arrested were some 30 other major stakeholders from the community, including Coordinator of Effium Development Centre, Sunday Agbo and his Effium South DC Counterpart, Eucharia Ogwale.
 
A former Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and Special Assistant on Market Development, Emmanuel Uzor, as well as his counterpart in Charge of Parks Development, Emmanuel Igwe were also arrested.

 
The former lawmaker representing Ohaukwu North State Constituency and Governor David Umahi’s Special Assistant on Sports and Youth Development, Frank Onwe was also among those arrested.

The arrests, it was learnt, were on the orders of the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe as directed by the State governor.

Briefing Journalists at Abakaliki, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aliyu Garba, described the incidence as unfortunate one.

He said about eight persons were killed with eight houses and a filling station razed down by the warring community.


He said that his men had been deployed to the warring zone to secure lives and properties of the people.

Meanwhile, Ebonyi State Governor has imposed curfew in the community from 4pm to 8am.

 

NATIONAL PANEL reports that the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe, Commissioner of Police Aliyu Garba, the State Chief Judge Justice Anselm Nwigwe, Secretary to Ebonyi State  Government Kenneth Ugbala, Commissioner for Internal Security Stanley Okoro Emegha and State Director of the State Security Service took security agencies to coordinate peacekeeping operation in the community.

The Deputy Governor directed that from 4pm movements should be restricted , and residents to stay at home and remain Law abiding.

Some of the suspects were apprehended with arms and ammunitions including pump action guns, and matchets were recovered from them.


Some of the suspects were also apprehended with arms, ammunition and charms.

The team visited watuma, Egugba and other villages were many suspects were arrested.

Our reporters are into investigation to uncover the real number of losses of lives and valuables destroyed in the warring community with relevant authourities' interventions.