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From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
A policewoman and four other persons abducted in the renewed crisis between the people of Amasiri and Akpoha in Afikpo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have been released by their abductors.
The policewoman and four other persons were abducted on Wednesday by suspected hoodlums.
The two communities have been at war over land with many lives lost and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
The crisis however escalated this week, leading to the abduction of the policewoman and other four persons.
The state police command, in a statement signed by its spokesperson, SP Joshua Ukandu, said the victims had been released.
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“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command, Adaku Uche-Anya, has expressed deep disappointment over the actions of youths from Akpoha and Amasiri communities in Afikpo Local Government Area of the state over earlier abduction of a female police officer and four others during renewed communal crisis in the area.
“Despite their freedom, the CP issued a stern warning that such acts would not be tolerated further under any circumstances, during a stakeholders’ meeting with representatives of the warring communities of Amasiri and Akpoha to address recent developments in the long-standing crisis between the two communities.
“The meeting on Friday in Abakaliki, the state capital, followed a series of incidents, including the seizure of a logging machine, android phones, motorcycle belonging to an Akpoha timber worker during a logging operation, the alleged abduction of one Augustine Ite, and the subsequent blockade of the Abakaliki/Afikpo Expressway.
“During the meeting, Akpoha stakeholders stated that the abduction of the female police officer was carried out in reaction to the seizure of their logging machine, motorcycle and the alleged abduction of Augustine Ite, whom they claimed remains missing.
“The Commissioner of Police strongly reprimanded the Akpoha community for failing to report the matter to the police, and instead resorting to self-help, a practice the Command has consistently warned against,” Ukandu said.
