Umahi talks tough, deploys 100 local vigilantes to each LGA in Ebonyi over herdsmen attack

Following the attack of herdsmen on residents of Egedege, Nkalaha, Obegu and Amazu communities of Ebonyi State and Eheamufu of Enugu State on Monday around 7 pm, the people in the affected communities have started living in fear and others fleeing for safety.

This attack is coming when the state is surrounded by a communal crisis rocking Efium and Ezza Efium, Abaomege, Ukawu, and others in the state which no fewer than hundreds of lives and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

According to Governor Umahi, on Tuesday when he visited the affected communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state, frown at the killings. The state and all other South-East states have given enabling environment and protection to the herdsmen in the zone and wondered why the herders should strike and kill people like cows in Ebonyi.

He said: “I got very shocking news this afternoon about the attack on about four communities of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu and Umuhuali in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state by AK-47 herdsmen that came yesterday and killed 15 of members of this communities.

“I remembered that about a year ago, we had an incident of killing of two herdsmen within this same location and immediately the security agencies, the local government chairman and the community leaders all came together to condemn the attack and the killing and we immediately asked the security agencies to fish out the perpetrators and they did fish them out and as we instructed, they are standing trial in Ebonyi State and the community and security agencies appeased the herdsmen and made peace with them.

“And so, it is very shocking overnight, all the herdsmen in Ishielu local government vacated Ishielu local government which means that the local herdsmen in Ishielu are part of the conspiracy in the killing of our people. They vacated despite all efforts my government, the governors of south-east and security agencies have been looking out to give them full protection not only in the state but in the entire south-east.

“We feel so sad that this kind of thing should happen to Ebonyi State, we feel so worried for our country and we are short of words.

“Good enough, we have some traces of the sponsors, we have the traces of those who came here. I will not disclose it but I am going to escalate the identities of the people to the highest authorities and we wait to see what they will do but we condemn this attack, it is not only happening in Ebonyi State and this country if it is allowed to go this way, it is capable of generating very serious civil war among the states of Nigeria.

“I want to demand from the Security Chiefs to fish out these people because they are well known, they should fish them out to let them face the wrath of the law. It has happened in so many places and they were not fished out and that’s why this kind of thing is happening.”

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Ebonyi State Chapter through its publicity secretary Barr. Silas Joseph Onu condemned the unfortunate killings of Ebonyi people by marauding herdsmen.

He condemned the act while sending condolences to the entire state, Ishielu LGA, affected communities and immediate families of the victims where he prayed that God will give the state the fortitude and courage to rise up and defend their land from criminals masquerading as herdsmen, clandestinely supported by self-serving leaders.

“PDP Ebonyi State Chapter is saddened by the unfortunate and avoidable killing of our people by marauding herdsmen in Obegu, Amaezu, Nkalaha and Umuhuali communities of Ishielu Local Government Area in Ebonyi State.”

Onu, however, calls on Ebonyi State Government to use the opportunity and depart from its infamous decision to participate in the now-dead inviting, RUGA. According to PDP, it is obvious that the herdsmen travelled along with death in their hands, carefully delivered to unsuspecting host communities with the AK-47.

Onu added that the APC government at all levels have either neglected, failed or refused to confront this mayhem headlong, instead, they profer needless explanations on why the attacks happened and are usually tagged a revenge mission.

“Governor Umahi clearly has been properly recruited into the APC propaganda and excuse giving scheme for the herdsmen. The idea of telling bereaved people that the perpetrators and their sponsors are known, should not be another avenue for the politicisation of an unfortunate policy that has led to an unfortunate outcome. The RUGA policy is an invitation to the chaos of a magnitude that our people cannot withstand. We call on the Governor to immediately rescind his decision to include Ebonyi State in that killer program.

“More importantly, since the Governor openly stated that he knows the sponsors of this heinous butchery, he must openly disclose them and ensure that the law takes its full effect. The law in Ebonyi State is not only for political opponents, it should actually apply to real criminals.

“Therefore, in addition to being our brother’s keeper and eternally vigilant, the PDP Ebonyi State Chapter is calling on all its members and the entire people of Ebonyi State to use this holy week of Easter to commit our state to God.

However, Ebonyi State government after her Executive Council Meeting on Wednesday at old government House Exco Chambers frowned very seriously at the killings at Egedegede Community in Ishielu Local Government Area and urged the LGA Chairmen to deploy 100 neighborhood watch per LGA and also form a local vigilante to put cross bars at the strategic locations to effectively police every part of the state.

Swinging into action, the 13 Council Chairmen and sixty-four Development Center Coordinators met and resolved that they support Law against Open Grazing in the state.

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