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Tag: Ebonyi State

  • May 29: Ebonyi sets up 16-man transition committee

    The Ebonyi State Government on Wednesday set up a 16-man transition committee to ensure a smooth ceremony for Gov. David Umahi’s second term in office.

    Sen. Emmanuel Onwe, Commissioner for Information and Orientation disclosed this to newsmen after the State Executive Meeting on Wednesday in Abakaliki.

    According to Onwe, the committee is headed by Chief Austin Umahi, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Vice Chairman for the South East Zone, who is also the governor’s elder brother.

    Read Also: Eight killed in resumed Ebonyi boundary crisis

    “Dr Hyginus Nwokwu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) will serve as  co-chairman, while the state’s PDP Chairman, Mr Onyekachi Nwebonyi and the Commissioner for Information will co-serve as Secretaries,” he said.

    The commissioner said that the committee also included the governor’s principal secretary, commissioners, special assistants, among other top government officials.

    “The Speaker of the State House of Assembly and the State Chief Judge will also have a nominee each,” he said.

    NAN

  • Police arrest suspected killers of herdsman in Ebonyi

    Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 6 Calabar, Musa Kimo on Tuesday said some persons have been arrested for allegedly beheading a herdsman in Onunwakpu, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi state.

    He stated this in Abakaliki in an interview with newsmen after he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the state, David Umahi.

    Last year, four residents of the area were killed by herdsmen who attacked the community and destroyed houses, economic trees, and other valuable properties.

    At the weekend, a herdsman was allegedly beheaded in the community.

    AIG Musa Kimo said some persons have been arrested in connection to the gruesome murder of the herdsman.

    The AIG said he visited the Governor to inform him that operation PUFF ADDER have been launched in the state as directed by the Inspector-General of Police(IGP), Adamu Mohammed.

    Kimo also disclosed that about five war mercenaries have been arrested over the Enyibichiri/Enyigba protracted crisis in Ikwo and Abakaliki local government area of the state.

    The intractable crisis re-ignited again last two weeks with a family of six including an infant burnt to ashes while three others shot dead by the warlords.

    Read also: Woman arrested for poisoning husband in Kano

    “Some people have been arrested especially in respect of the gruesome murder of the Fulani man in Izzi. Equally some people were arrested; four or five who are mercenaries. They are with us, they
    are at the state CID and they are connected with the general crime that has to do with the conflict.

    “I want to believe that investigation is pointing that they are directly or indirectly involved with those killings.

    “We will continue to do our best in our professional manner. Our intention is to try as much possible to declare criminals persona non-grata”.

    Meanwhile, the AIG during the official launch of operation PUFF ADDER said the aim is to help curb inter and intra communal crisis in Ebonyi state.

    Inaugurating the operation at the police headquarters Abakaliki on Tuesday, Mr Kimo called on Ebonyi stakeholders to join hands with the Police to ensure the success of the operation.

    He said stakeholders’ support became necessary because the operation, by the way it’s design, depends on the people in various communities to achieve its objective as their corporation would including giving police adequate information that would lead to tracking and prosecuting perpetrators of evil acts in the state.

    AIG Kimo decried the recent killings in the state warned the warring communities of Alike-Ikwo, Ikwo local government and Enyigba Izzi in Abakaliki local government areas to sheat their sword or face the wrath of the tactical team.

    He said the operation was a resonance of intelligence-driven policy and community intelligence strategy for the purpose of crime control adding that the operation will help police to identify and arrest criminals in Ebonyi state.

    The command CP, Awoshola Awotunde, urged Ebonyi communities to stop pilling arms and learn how to dialogue when issues arise and not to kill each other.

    A Stakeholder, Apostle Emma Mbam from Alike-Ikwo, one of the warring communities, said the problem with control of the crisis was the nonchalant attitude of stakeholders from the area.

    He said that stakeholders should seat up because it is not the miscreants that buy gun rather it is the stakeholders that buy the gun for them to go and kill.

    He said the police and government are being deceived but call for a private meeting where the secrets behind the killings will be revealed.

    He called on Ezza nation who is the eldest in Abakaliki to call Ikwo and Izzi clans to order by placing a course on those instigating the crisis stressing that Ebonyi state is known for culture and as such cultural believe should be used to end the crisis.

    Meanwhile, the police public relations officer DSP Odah Loveth, used the event to parade suspected kidnappers and arms recovered from hoodlums and gun manufacturers in the state.

  • Breaking: Umahi suspends two LG chairmen over communal clashes

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi on Tuesday suspended the Chairmen of Ikwo and Abakaliki Local Government Areas over the resurgence of communal crisis in the areas last week.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the affected chairmen included: Mr Emmanuel Nwangele of Abakaliki and Chief John Nnabo of Ikwo LGA.

    Dr Hyginus Nwokwu, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), told newsmen after the governor’s meeting with stakeholders of both councils, that the suspension was with immediate effect.

    “The governor is not happy that both chairmen did not demonstrate capacity to ensure security in both councils which they are constitutionally bound to protect.

    “The governor also suspended all political office holders from communities in both councils—Enyibichiri, Noyo Echilaike from Ikwo and Edda, Enyigba communities from Abakaliki LGA.

    Read also: Eight killed in resumed Ebonyi boundary crisis

    “The suspension will lapse only when lasting peace returns to the areas as the suspended chairmen are directed to handover to their vice chairmen,” he said.

    Nwokwu added that civil servants from both councils who directly or indirectly financed the perpetrators of the clashes were also suspended.

    “This will ensure that they are financially incapacitated to sponsor such aggressions as the sanctity of live supersedes all political considerations,” he said.

    He disclosed that the governor also directed stakeholders from Abakaliki LGA to unearth the hoodlums who killed and set fire on a bus conveying Ikwo indigenes along the Alex Ekwueme Federal Univeristy, Ndufu Alike Ikwo (FUNAI) road, within one week.

    “These people were unfortunately burnt beyond recognition and they involved six members of the same family including a three-month old baby.

    “The government will be forced to hunt the perpetrators if the stakeholders fail to produce them within such period and the situation will not be palatable to anybody.

    “The government hereby assures the citizens especially indigenes of the affected communities, students and staff of FUNAI,  that security agencies have been mandated to provide adequate security in the areas,” the SSG said.

    In his comments, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, the Commissioner for Border, Peace and Internal Security disclosed that 33 political appointees were suspended in Ikwo LGA and 18 in Abakaliki LGA.

    “The governor suspended the chairmen because they failed in their constitutional duty of protecting the people, so the issue of whether he has the constitutional right to do so does not arise.

    “The councillors who are also elected were also suspended and we should realise that only the living can talk,” he said.

    Umahi in his earlier remark before the meeting, threatened to suspend the chairmen of Ohaukwu LGA of the state for failing to ensure the people’s security in the wake of its land dispute with the people of Agila in Benue.

    He also bemoaned the spate of attacks which led to several deaths within a fortnight at Ikwo, Abakaliki, Amasiri community of Afikpo North LGA and Onicha Igboeze in Onicha LGA of Ebonyi. (NAN)

  • Murder at the cathedral

    Police are probing the circumstances in which a gunman shot and killed a 50-year-old woman at the door of a church in Afikpo council area of Ebonyi State. OGOCHUKWU ANIOKE reports

    It was a black Sunday in Amasiri, Afikpo North Local Government Area of Ebonyi State as a gunman went berserk, shooting and killing a 50-year-old woman in front of a new generation church in the area.

    The deceased was killed when she went for an intercessory prayer along with two other women in what appeared to be an ambush.

    Investigations reveal that the victim, a mother of seven, whose name was given as Mrs Chinyere Agwu, went to the Solution Ground International Church Amasiri accompanied by two other women to worship.

    The shooter killed her about 5am.

    On approaching the church door, the women were said to have spotted a man they identified as Paul with their torchlight. He was holding something in his hands which they couldn’t see very well.

    As they made to enter the church, he pointed the gun at them and squeezed the trigger.

    Most of the bullets hit Mrs Agwu while a bullet grazed the shoulder of another woman.

    The man took to his heels as the third woman who was the mother of the Pastor raised alarm.

    The General Overseer of the Church, Pastor Michael Uche told The Nation that he was alerted by his mother who was one of the victims who ran home after the gun attack.

    He said he immediately went to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad in the area to report the matter.

    Corroborating the story, an Assistant Pastor in the Church, Emmanuel Onyiagha said they resorted to self-help to rescue two of the victims following delay by operatives of Special Anti-Robbery Squad to whom they reported the matter at Amasiri Junction.

    Pastor Onyiagha said Mrs Chinyere Agwu was rushed to a hospital where she was discovered to have suffered multiple bullet wounds. She died soon after.

    Police spokesman in the state, Loveth Odah said the suspect who was identified simply as Paul was in police custody.

    It was gathered that the body of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary while one of the survivors was so lucky that it was only the shoulder part of her blouse that was ripped apart by a bullet.

    “In front of one church-solution ground, two women were going to the church for prayer session they called intercession prayer between 5:30 am to 6:am.

    “As soon as they arrived the church, they saw a man one Paul from the area in front of the church holding something standing beside the church. While they faced their own business to enter the church, they heard a gunshot and one Chinyere Agwu one of the women fell to the ground.

    “The other woman rushed to the house to inform the Pastor who went to SARS police station there and reported the matter. He led the SARS team to the place and rescued the woman to the hospital”, said the spokesman.

    Odah said the woman on the way to the hospital was lamenting ‘Paul what have I done to you that you want to kill me?’.

    Read also: Women empowerment reduces over-dependence on men — Ebonyi govt.

    “Unfortunately, she could not survive it because the man shot sporadically in a close range into her body. She had a lot of bullet wound on her body”

    “According to the two women that saw Paul when they were coming to the church, they said he ran and hid somewhere. Paul has been arrested by us and he is claiming that he is innocent. But the deceased was calling Paul to the extent of calling his surname before she gave up.

    “The bullet wound in her was so much that her abdomen and that of her chest including her breast were badly affected with bullet wounds and because of that, she could not survive.

    The spokesman said that from investigations, the Pastor’s mother may have been the target of the attack.

    “I tried to find out from the Pastor what could be the problem between Paul and the deceased and he said it was not the deceased that was Paul’s target.

    “He said the person Paul was targeting was his (pastor’s) mother. He said the woman had a previous problem with the suspect’s wife. Right now, investigation is on. At the end of the investigation, we should be able to know what happened”.

    Meanwhile, the body of the deceased has been deposited in the mortuary.

  • ‘INEC was fair to all parties in Ebonyi’

    The House of Representatives member elect for Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo Federal Constituency, Ebonyi State, Engr.  Livinus Makwe has commended the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, for the smooth conduct of elections in Ebonyi state.

    Makwe who was issued the Certificate of Return for the election by the electoral body on Thursday in Abuja said the electoral body was fair to all political parties in the state during the election.

    Makwe had defeated candidates of other parties to emerge victorious during last months Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The incoming Lawmaker also congratulated the State Governor, David Umahi on his victory during the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.

    He said the governor’s election was not surprising as the governor has performed beyond expectation by carrying out monumental developmental projects in all the 13 local government areas in the state.

    “There is no part of the state that has not felt the impact of the governor in one form or the other. The governor’s infrastructural Transformation in the areas of road construction, education, health, agriculture, electricity, human empowerment and capacity building, etc is second to none in the country today”.

    “The governor’s achievement is more remarkable when one considers the fact that the state receives one of the least allocations from the federal treasury. So, Ebonyi people had no choice but to use their votes to tell him to continue the transformation of the state”, he said.

    Read Also: APC, PDP take INEC to task

    He noted that the total victory recorded by the PDP in Ebonyi state, by winning all the National and State House of Assembly seats is a testament to the governor’s political sagacity and prowess and  the acceptance of PDP as the only relevant political party in the state

    The House of Representative Member-elect also promised to cooperate fully with the governor in moving the state forward.

    Mr Makwe was full of thanks to his constituents for electing him with landslide votes and promised not to disappoint them.

    “I promised during the campaign to attract more federal presence to the area and that I will pursue with doggedness once I am sworn in”.

    “I will also work assiduously to ensure that my constituency is no longer marginalized in employment into federal government Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs as has been the case in the past”, he added

  • Six policemen detained over burning of INEC facility

    Six policemen have been arrested over the attack on the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) Registration Area Centre (RAC) by hoodlums in Ebonyi state.

    The arrested officers were deployed to Ezza North Local Government Area for the March 9 Governorship and Assembly Elections in Ebonyi State.

    The hoodlums had attacked the INEC facility around 2 am on the Election Day, burning down three RAC buildings which had all the sensitive and non-sensitive electoral materials for the election in the area.

    It was gathered the policemen were arrested and detained for allegedly allowing the hoodlums to carry out their action without arresting any of the suspects or preventing them.

    Commissioner of police, Mr. Awoshola Awotinde, who reported the incident to Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIG) in charge of election monitoring in south East, ordered for the immediate arrest and proper investigation of the incident.

    Read also: APC rejects Ebonyi governorship result, heads to tribunal

    Police Spokesman, Loveth Odah, confirmed the arrest of the policemen.

    She said that having failed to protect the election materials, they were arrested and undergoing orderly room trial.

    She assured if found guilty, they would face their punishment which may include dismissal from the force.

     “Two mobile policemen were posted to each of the three RACs that were attacked.

    “We post them there because we know such attack could come or for them to counter such attacks, but also because they needed to be closer, while calling on tactical unit once there is any eventuality.

    “But we were surprised that the invaders came and got all the materials and the building burnt unchallenged.

    “Just like I use to tell you every day that police cannot sweep public complaints under the carpet, we don’t tolerate indiscipline and as we checkmate the public, we also checkmate our colleagues.

    “So the Commissioner of Police ordered for their arrest. They have been under investigation to ascertain whether their claims were true,” she said.

    She went on: “The most senior among them said that as soon as those thugs arrived, they switched off the generator and everywhere became dark to the extent that someone could not see the rare end.

    ”The six of them were posted to the three RACs that the incident happened.

    “We are waiting for INEC officials who were posted to come and give their own statement because it will be vital information in the investigation and it will help us to ascertain if what the police officers said is true.”

    Meanwhile, INEC is set to conduct supplementary elections in the two-state constituencies affected by the attack.

    36,000 voters were disenfranchised as a result of the incident forcing the electoral body to declare the election inconclusive.

    The supplementary election is according to a statement by INEC in the state will hold on Saturday, March 23.

    The statement by the Acting Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state, Mr. Andy Ezeani said supplementary election will also hold in some polling units in Izzi local government area.

    “For Ebonyi State consequently, supplementary elections will be held in the following Constituencies; Ezza North West (Ekka Registration Area – 16 PUs and Oriuzor Registration Area, 32 PUs/VPs); Ezza North East (Okposi Umuoghara Registration Area – 27 PU/VPs)

    “Izzi East 19 PUs across the following Registration Areas; Igbeagu Nduogbu, Igbeagu Ndietta, Igbeagu III, Mgbaluku I, Mgbabeluzor and Ndieze Ndiabor Ishiagu,” Ezeani said in the statement.

  • Umahi: I am not leaving PDP

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has debunked reports credited to the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Sonni Ogbuorji, that he was making plans to defect to the APC.

    Ogbuoji, at a news conference in Enugu State, rejected the outcome of the election and vowed to challenge Umahi’s victory at the tribunal.

    Umahi described Ogbuorji’s statement as the ranting of a frustrated person.

    A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor, said the victory of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a total rejection of his opponent.

    The statement reads: “As usual, the pain of defeat has started to manifest and so the centre can no longer hold as regards Ogbuorji’s state of mind. Rather than accept the verdict of the people as expressed in their ballots, Ogbuorji has taken his frustration far beyond the shores of the state.

    “Senator Ogbuorji, rather than defend his lacklustre performance in the governorship election, accused the governor of plans to defect to the APC. His statement smacks of frustration because he was not only trounced by Umahi, but also stripped of the little remaining man in him politically.

    “Ogbuorji alleged that Governor Umahi was a mole in PDP. Such a statement is unfortunate and irresponsible because he lacks all moral justification to know who is a mole and who is not because he represented what a typical mole is in APC.

    “How come Senator Ogbuorji never resigned his membership of the PDP, a party on whose platform he was elected a senator twice? How come Senator Ogbuorji, who claimed to be the governorship candidate of APC, compromised the presidential election to the extent of losing his own polling unit and ward to the PDP?

    “If Ogbuorji was not a mole in APC, how come he won clearly his own governorship election in his polling unit and ward but lost in the presidential election?

    “Unknown to him, the APC National Working Committee knows the character of Ogbuorji. So they allowed him wallow and ate his own flesh in the governorship election,” he added.

     

     

  • Update: Suspected political thugs set INEC Office ablaze in Ebonyi

    Suspected political thugs on Saturday morning attacked an Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, office in Ezza North local government area of Ebonyi state.
    The Registration Area Center (RAC) in Umuoghara was attacked by the unidentified hoodlums around 2 am.
    They fire, it was gathered, destroyed sensitive and non sensitive materials to be used for today’s governorship and State House of Assembly elections.
    The hoodlums also burnt down  Community Secondary School Okposi Umuoghara in the area.

    Read also: INEC replaces burnt I98 Smart Card Readers in Akwa Ibom

    Police Spokesman in the state,  Loveth Odah and the Resident Electoral Commissioner for the state, Prof Godswill Obioma confirmed the attack.
    ” I got a call from the area that the RAC was under attack just few minutes ago. I am rushing back to command to ramp up response to the situation”. Odah said.

  • Election: Foreign Observers warns Millitary against harassment of journalists

    Pan-African Women Project, a foreign election observer group from South Africa, has cautioned the military against harassment of Journalists and other election observers who would be monitoring the governorship and House of Assembly elections on Saturday in Ebonyi State.
    The group stated this at a pre-election briefing in Abakaliki.
    It claimed that during the last presidential and National Assembly elections, election observers including some journalists were harassed and detained while they were discharging their lawful duties.
    The leader of the group, Lebogang Mhkize appealed to the security agencies especially the army to accord election officials necessary support to discharge their duties.
    “We also wish to call on the security agents not to allow themselves to be used by the political class to intimidate, harass or cause fear in the electorate, electoral officers, media personnel and election observers in any way as there were reported cases of harassment perpetrated on some journalists and election observers by soldiers in the last presidential poll,” Mkhize added.

    Read also: 70 PDP members defect to APC in Ikeja

    The group also lamented the pockets of violence during the presidential election in some parts of the state.
    “On further investigation, it was revealed that the violence at these places were masterminded by some political elites across party affiliations who sponsored political thugs for the purpose of enhancing their political interest”, Mrs Mhkize said.
    While describing the violence that trailed the election as anti-democratic, the group called on the people of the state to refrain from any act of violence as this can be inimical to the interest of the state.
    The group further stressed that the role of every stakeholder in any electoral process can either jeopardize and have a negative influence in the society or help to re-streghten the culture and values in the polity.

  • Polls: Ebonyi CP assumes duty in Abia

    The Commissioner of Police in Ebonyi State, CP Awosola Awotinde on Friday assumed duties as the Commissioner of Police in Abia State ahead of March 9th Governorship election in the state.

    The change in guard is coming about 24hrs after former CP Ene Okon flanked by DIG in-charge of Southeast for 2019 election and a former commissioner of Police in the state, Anthony Ogbizi spoke on the strategies of the command towards a peaceful and free and fair Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.

    The change in baton by the police hierarchy has generated mixed reactions among interest groups who alleged that it was a ploy to assist a particular political party rig Saturday’s elections.

     “We were in this state when the former Commissioner of Police Joshiak Habila superintended elections in 2015. Abia was peaceful and nothing happened. The recent commissioner of police (Ene Okon) was in-charge of the Presidential and National Assembly elections on (Feb) 23rd and Abia was very peaceful. Was there any case of violence in Abia? Did people die? Was there any case of ballot snatching? The answer to all these is no. Abia was one of the peaceful states in the country where elections were held on February 23. Tell me the need for the redeployment 24hrs to the election?

     “The point is that the other commissioner (Okon) refused to do their bidding. He was professional and made sure that despite the limited personnel available to the command, the state remained peaceful at the end of the Presidential and National Assembly election.

    Read Also: Breaking: Two killed, three injured in Ebonyi

     “What was the track record of the new man in the state that he is coming from? We know their plans and will make sure that Abians resisted attempts to foist anyone that is not the wish of the people,” a politician who pleaded not to be mentioned posited.

    But when our reporter contacted the spokesman of Abia State Command on his mobile line, SP Geoffrey Ogbonna said that Okon only swapped with his Ebonyi State counterpart for election duties and would return to the state after the conduct of the elections.

    Contrary to insinuations in some quarters that the redeployment is a ploy to favour a particular political party, Ogbonna debunked that and maintained that the swap would not in any way affect the strategies already put in place by the police and other security agencies to ensure there would be free, fair and credible elections in the state.

    Meanwhile, Awosola on resumption of duty in the state was said to have held closed door security meeting with heads of various sister security agencies at the police headquarters.

    Sources who were at the meeting disclosed that the meeting was for the CP to familiarize himself with the heads of sister agencies whom he solicited their cooperation ahead of Saturday’s election.