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…As LG chair threatens resignation over bloodshed
• Senator demands release of missing head
From Uchenna Inya, Abakaliki
Suspected warlords have beheaded a middle-aged man, Dick Nnachi in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
The incident occurred on Thursday evening in the man’s farm. Nnachi’s head is still missing since the incident occurred.
A minute’s silence was observed in his honour at Nguzu Edda community primary school on Friday afternoon during the new yam festival celebration of the people, which was organized by Chairman of the Local Government, Chima Ekumankama who disclosed the incident there.
The people of Oso Edda and their Amasiri neighbours in Afikpo Local Government Area also in the state have been at war with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed over land.
Efforts have been made by successive administrations and the present administration to resolve the way to no avail.
Ekumankama, who lamented the beheading of Nnachi by the suspected warlords, threatened to resign his position over bloodshed in the crisis and urged Governor Francis Nwifuru to urgently establish a security checkpoint in the area to prevent further loss of lives and property.
“Sometimes I just feel like resigning to go back to my business just because each time I see the blood of an Edda man dropped on the floor, it pains me, it makes me very uncomfortable and very sad.
“If there is any day you hear that I have resigned, know that this is the reason I have to resign. Your Excellency, I am seriously pained by these incidents.
“If it is possible, Your Excellency, let us have the army, police and every other security apparatus in Oso Edda so that we can protect our people.
“Our people are being slaughtered and each time they cry to me, I shed tears, I also cry. Your Excellency, I am appealing to you to please, do something, please your Excellency, do something.
“We don’t have spilling of blood anymore. Every year, I organize prayer for cleansing of the land and the enemies will always to do that which is not needed. We will do the prayer again to cleanse the one they have just done but we don’t want the killings to continue.
“Your Excellency, please, this is the only appeal I have to make today. Do something your Excellency, we don’t want to lose any other soul again all because of the crisis between Oso Edda and Amasiri”, he told Governor Francis Nwifuru, who was represented by Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Moses Odunwa.
Senator Sonni Ogbuoji who represented Ebonyi South in the Senate, warned Amasisri people to desist from killing Edda people and threatened that if the killings continue, they may not contend with Oso Edda people.
“Edda people are warriors. Amasisri people should stop looking for our trouble o. They should bring the head of the person they beheaded to us o, let them bring his head to us now! Amasiri people are not known to be beheading people. If someone sent them to do this, they should return the head of our brother to us o.
“Oso Edda people are peaceful and law abiding and Amasiri should not take this for granted. Oso people are not on this occasion before the beheading of this man, they are not here in this celebration,” he told the mammoth crowd.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Joshua Ukandu who confirmed the incident, said a team of policemen has been deployed to the disputed area.
He warned the warring communities to avoid the area declared buffer zone by security agencies and government.
The incident occurred after a man, Victor Chidera Ejem, an Internally Displaced Persons in the crisis between Effium and Ezza Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, was killed in a camp in Ngbo in the local government.
The incident occurred in Agbaeshia in the Ngbo community, forcing the Chairman of the Local Government, Ikechukwu Odono to disband a youth group in the local government known as Ohaukwu Youth General Assembly (OYGA).
He urged security agencies to go to the root of the matter to ensure that the culprits were brought to book.
He solicited the cooperation of stakeholders to arrest the perpetrators and disabused their minds of sentiments, assuring that everything would be done to avoid a repeat.
