Tag: Ebonyi

In its bid to tackle the high rates of gender-based violence (GBV) in Ebonyi State, a civic society group, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) has conducted a training session on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention in the state.

The three-day training, which brought together over 70 participants from law enforcement agencies, traditional rulers, religious leaders, youths, and media representatives, legal and health practitioners, focused on preventing GBV by strengthening police-community collaboration to prevent and combat GBV in two local government areas: Afikpo and Edda.

The project, titled “Strengthening Police-Community Engagement to Prevent and Combat Gender-Based Violence in Nigeria,” is supported by the Ford Foundation and is being implemented across five states, including Ebonyi, Kaduna, Kano, Ondo, and Niger.

Speaking during the programme in Abakaliki, the programme officer of PWAN, Ijeoma Igwe, disclosed that the training was as a result of the research the organisation carried out which showed that Ebonyi State was one of the states with high gender based violence rates in the Southeast.

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“So, we had to come into Ebonyi to carry out this project on how to prevent gender based violence.

“So, the essence of the programme is to help the community people to understand what constitutes gender based violence and how they can work together in preventing gender based violence in their various localities,” she said.

She noted that before now, most of the GBV projects had been more about response after it had happened.

“But what we’re trying to do is to prevent it from even happening at all. That’s why we had in the hall a mix of participants, the traditional rulers, the law enforcement, the youths and media. The essence is to see the coordination so that everybody will have to prevent GBV from even happening at all.

“The first day was for the law enforcement agencies and the second day was for the traditional rulers, religious leaders and the youths in different halls. All this is to ensure that everyone knows the role to play in preventing GBV in the society,” Igwe said.

Four persons have been sentenced to death by hanging by the Ebonyi State High Court, Ohaukwu Judicial Division after being found guilty of conspiracy and murder of 26- year-old Chinonso Elom.

The murder of Elom popularly known as Oscar by the convicted persons occurred on 5th of February, 2023 in Ngbo community in the local government. 

It was gathered that the deceased and the four convicts hailed from Ohaukwu Local Government Area.

The convicted who the Judge said will die by hanging were Anthony Elom a.k.a Tidy, Chibueze Onwe a.k.a Chief oo, Chukwuemeka Ugah a.k.a Parity and Uchenna Odono, a relative of a top official in the Council.

It was gathered that the four convicted persons on the fateful day in company of one ThankGod Onwe, who is now at large, drove a branded Sienna bus belonging to a known political party to Ndulo Umuogudu Akpu road.

They were said to have stopped in front of the late Chinonso’s business area near Okwo Ngbo Main Market.

According to eye witnesses, the five men who were believed to be members of a secret cult demanded tElom also known as Oscar must provide information on the whereabouts of his younger brother whom they reportedly had misunderstanding with. 

When he could not provide such information, they attempted to drag him into the Sienna bus.

Upon his refusal to enter the Sienna, one of the hoodlums, Anthony Elom also known as Tidy shot him on the head with a shot gun and he died instantly.

The gruesome murder caused a pandemonium leading to a wide protest by Ngbo youths who demanded that the killers be arrested and justice served.

Four of the killers who could be recognised by some eye witnesses were subsequently arrested by the Police while the fifth person, ThankGod Onwe remained at large. 

They were later charged to court for the case of murder preferred on them by the State.

Delivering the judgement, Justice Esther Otah said that the evidence provided by the Prosecuting Counsel including the eye witnesses accounts proved beyond reasonable doubts that the accused were responsible for the killing of the late Chinonso Elom.

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She stressed that the defense of the defendants were not enough to exonerate them from the crime.

She added that a forensic check on the gun later recovered from the killers also indicated that it match to bullet used to kill Mr Elom.

On why they were all served the death penalty instead of singling out Anthony Elom who shot the victim, Justice Otah said that the killers formed a common intention to prosecute the unlawful purpose.

The Judge noted that they are liable for the eventful outcome of the unlawful purpose they pursued and that the fact that one of them was shot the victim was immaterial.

 “Anthony Elom a.k.a Tidy, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Chibueze Onwe a.k.a Chief oo, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Chukwuemeka Ugah a.k.a Parity, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul. Uchenna Odono, you will be hanged with rope until you die. May God save your soul “, the Judge declared.

Counsel to the defendants, Barr Chinedu Uwa said he was not satisfied with the Judgement and that he will appeal the judgement.

The Prosecuting Counsel, Barr. Oluchi Ibiam of the Ebonyi State Ministry of Justice and some lawyers from Ohaukwu Local Government Area who were in the Court, Barr. Chinedu Ugadu and Barr. Chinedu Ituma expressed satisfaction with the judgement and maintained that the verdict by the Judge was a true reflection of justice.

 President of the Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth, Barr. Michael Odo expressed mixed feelings at the judgement.

He insisted that whereas the gruesome murder of the late Chinonso Elom was an evidence of the level of decay in the society, the judgement should serve as a deterrent to youths who still indulge in cultism and other vices. 

“Fellow Ngboejeogu youths, it is with mixed feelings of sadness but fulfilment of heart that I wish to address you this evening on the judgment of the High Court of Ebonyi State, Ohaukwu Judicial Division, delivered today 14/05/2025, in the case of State vs. Elom Anthony & 3 Others where the four defendants charged with the murder of Elom Chinonso (aka Oscar) were convicted and sentenced to death.”

“This judgment does not call for celebration. It is a sad reminder of a terrible decay in our society.

“Those who were sentenced to death today are made up of two persons from Ngbo and two persons from Ezzangbo who could have added value to the society but chose the wrong path of criminality and ended up as a reference point in infamy.”

On 6/2/2023, youths of Ngboejeogu staged a peaceful protest against the gruesome murder of our brother Mr. Elom Chinonso (aka Oscar) by well known individuals. 

“The protest was brought to me as the President of Amalgamated Ngboejeogu Youth and I promised the youths of Ngboejeogu that we will follow up the matter and ensure that justice is done. Today, that promise was fulfilled through the judgment of the High Court in the matter.” 

“There is no need recounting the journey. However, I must thank in a special way the youths of Umuogudu Akpu Community, Umuezeaka Community, Umuogudu Oshia Community, etc who rallied round to draw the attention of the entire Ngbo people to this dastardly murder. 

“I thank the Ngbo Leaders Council for calling the solemn assembly at Obodo Akpu, Umuogudu Akpu Ngbo where decisions were taken to ensure that the suspects were produced and handed over to the police for investigation.” 

“Time is changing fast in Ngbo and cultism is becoming outdated and a nuisance. We call on all political leaders and youths in Ngbo to rise up and condemn cultism in all its ramifications and in the strongest terms. 

“We pray that today’s judgment will teach the hard lesson it was intended to teach the youths of Ohaukwu Local Government Area.”, Odo added. Ends

The Court of Appeal Enugu Division has affirmed the judgement of Justice R O  Riman of the Federal High Court Abakaliki,  nullifying the conduct of Local Government election in Ebonyi State.

Justice Joseph Ekanem, who read the lead judgement of the Appeal court, gave the ruling while dismissing the three appeals filed by Ebonyi State Government, Central Bank and Local Government Chairmen, challenging the ruling of the Federal High Court.

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The Appeal Court ruled that the earlier judgement of Justice R O Riman then of Federal High Court Abakaliki remains valid and subsisting.

According to the Appeal court: “The judgment in FHC/AI/CS/224/2022, which the Appellants challenged on appeal, was meant to enforce compliance with the earlier judgment in FHC/AI/CS/151/2022 contrary to the argument of the appellants.”

The court ruled that the appeals were dismissed for proliferation of issues for determination by the appellants which resulted in an incompetent brief of argument.

Two people, including a nine-month-old baby girl, have died, while many others were injured in a fatal road accident that occurred on Sunday at Uduma Junction in the Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Eyewitnesses said the accident involved a bus conveying about 25 passengers, including children, which lost control while navigating a sharp bend at high speed and collided with another vehicle.

The impact caused the bus to somersault three times, leaving several occupants severely injured.

The victims, all natives of Ebonyi State but residents of Imo State, were returning to their base after attending a burial ceremony at Okporike, Abakaliki, when the tragedy struck.

Spokesperson of the David Umahi Federal University Teaching Hospital (DUFUTH), Uburu, Agwu Nwogo, confirmed the incident, noting that the hospital promptly activated its emergency response system to treat the victims.

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Nwogo disclosed that two passengers—a baby girl and an adult woman—were confirmed dead on arrival, while 23 others sustained varying degrees of injuries, including crushed hands, fractures, deep cuts, and traumatic brain injuries.

“As of today, 18 patients, including the driver, are receiving treatment at DUFUTH’s Accident and Emergency department, Surgery Ward, and Intensive Care Unit.

“Four patients with minor injuries were stabilised and discharged after receiving treatment”, he said

Nwogo, however, said an 11-month-old child who sustained severe traumatic brain injury remains in critical condition.

He said the child is currently admitted to the Intensive Care Unit, where an artificial respirator is supporting her due to failing respiration.

“The hospital management has expressed sadness over the incident and assured the public that everything possible is being done to ensure the injured receive the best medical care”, he added

At least four people have been confirmed dead in a renewed outbreak of violence over a longstanding land dispute between Ndukwe Community in Amasiri, Afikpo Local Government Area, and Okporojo in Osso Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

The fresh hostilities, part of a decades-long conflict, also saw houses and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.

A source from Okporojo claimed that the victims were from the community and alleged that the attackers came from neighbouring Amasiri. However, the identity of the assailants could not be independently confirmed at the time of this report.

The security situation has forced many residents of Edda LGA to avoid the Amasiri road, opting instead to travel through Afikpo town out of fear of further attacks.

Despite previous efforts to resolve the crisis, including a white paper issued by the past administration based on recommendations from a government committee, implementation has reportedly stalled—leading to recurring violence.

Chairman of Edda Local Government Area, Chima Ekumankama, confirmed the killing of four people during the recent attack on Okporojo Idima in Osso Edda.

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He noted that security operatives have been deployed to restore normalcy.

He pointed out that he has visited the area to reassure the people of government’s commitment towards ending the lingering dispute.

Ekumankama commended the state governor, Francis Nwifuru for taking proactive steps by moving security agents to the area.

 “I can assure you that normalcy and peace have returned to the area. I personally visited the area and witnessed the level of destruction done and as we speak, there are enough security personnel in the area to forestall a reoccurrence.”

Chairman of Afikpo LGA, Timothy Nwachi also explained that the state government had deployed security operatives to the buffer zone to de-escalate tension and restore normalcy in the two communities.

He described the renewed hostility as unfortunate and appealed to the people of Amasiri to remain calm pending government’s decision on the matter.

Police spokesperson in the State, Joshua Ukandu said he has not been briefed about any attack that occurred in the area.