Effium community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State during the weekend burst into a leadership crisis, resulting in razing of houses, shops and destruction of other valuables worth millions of Naria, NATIONAL PANEL gathered.
The community people according to our sources have in their thousands fled out from the area, whereas those who were unable to escape from the warring zone sustained a sever score of injuries.
According to the Nation News, sources have equally alleged that dangerous hoodlums in the area have converted the crisis into razing and looting of people's belongs, with half of the poor innocent farmers who had taken up to their heels to a hidden places to avert being killed by armed hoodlums.
NATIONAL PANEL also gathered that the crisis started in the community as a result of a leadership tussle rocking the National Union of Road Transport Workers in Effuim Motor Park.
“The trouble started when a faction of the road transport union at Effium park, who are majorly Effium people, refused to share proceeds generated from the market, to other groups who are majorly Ezza indigenes, and as such, crisis ensued," the source revealed.
However, the Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, Chief Eric Kelechi Igwe has visited the warring community to assess the level of destruction, and directed all the political officeholders in Effium to close ranks by ensuring speedy resolution of the crisis.
Igwe who was received on arrival by Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba described as a unfortunate the breach of peace in the area which has led to wanton destructions in the community.
He said: "Stakeholders as a matter of urgency should fish out those behind the act”, warning that “they will henceforth be held responsible for further breakdown of law in the area”.
The deputy governor also directed the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Chief Clement Odah and Member Representing Ohaukwu North, Chief Chinedu Awo to immediately step in and appeal to both sides to sheath their sword for the interest of peace in the area.
He commended the Commissioner of Police for his prompt response to the distress call, urging him to dispatch his men to flash points to forestall breakdown of law and order.
Also speaking, the state Commissioner of Police, Aliyu Garba said his preliminary observation indicated that the crisis was as a result of leadership tussle at Effium motor park which degenerated along tribal lines between Effium speaking people and the Ezzas.
Garba said those who were injured have started receiving treatment in the hospital while his men had arrested some of the suspects.
“Actually it was my first litmus, but like I told you normalcy has been restored, we have lots of them that have been arrested and investigations are ongoing” he noted," he said.
In a related development, Ebonyi State Government has banned the activities of National Union of Road Transport Workers in Effuim Motor Park as a way to avert further break down of laws and order.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Conflict Resolution in the state, Mr Stanley Okoro Emegha stated this while speaking with newsmen on the crisis.
Mr Emegha emphasised that clashes engulfed the entire Effuim and Ezza Effuim because the Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area allowed politicians to meddle into the affairs of the Union, emphasising that Ohaukwu Local government authorities would be mandated to takeover the park where the incident emanated from.
He said: “it was not something that happened on the grounds of IPOB neither was it politically related matter, it was a national transport union case dragging the leadership of a motor park, it has been a matter I handled earlier before this time directing that National Union of Road Transport Workers is an organisation recognised by the Federal government but has no right in our motor park because we discovered that what they were doing was not in tandem with the peace effort of the state government”
The Commissioner said all government personnel on special national assignments in the community who were trapped by the crisis had been rescued while the area was calm following the deployment of security men.
“All the people trapped in the area, not only health personnel but also staff of the National Population Commission were safely evacuated. My office deployed security and vehicles on the directive of the Governor and all of them were rescued. No scratch on them and the place is calm now”
Mr Emegha said when he contacted the State Chairman of the Union, he claimed to be out of the state and wondered why he should be absent from the state when his Union was in crisis.
He warned that the government would bring to book all the politicians whether serving in the government or in the opposition party who played a role in sparking up the crisis. -The Nations News.
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