The Ezza-Effium Consultative Assembly, ECA has blasted what they described as psedo and emergently formed Effium Indigenous Vanguard on a failed attempt to decimate the Assembly.
Reacting to the recent press statement, ECA Chairman and Secretary Mr. Aligwe Mathias Chukwuma and Mr. Bernard Orichi in a statement in Abakaliki on Monday noted that the Effium Indigenous Vanguard shot themselves at the legs and exposed their evil agenda to exterminate Ezza-Effium people.
The statement reads this, "The attention of Ezza-Effium Consultative Assembly (ECA) has been drawn to a self-indicting and incoherent press statement by Ufiom people, in which they used a pseudo and emergency group called, Effium Indigenous Vanguard, to distort facts and cast aspersions on ECA and her people.
"Ordinarily, we wouldn't have wasted our precious time and energy replying the illogical and incoherent press statement from this pseudo cum emergency group created by Ufiom people few days ago for their hatched heinous agenda against Ezza-Effium people, but for the sake of putting the facts straight before the unsuspecting public, we thought it wise to respond, especially to the areas the ECA as a body was mentioned in the said face saving press statement.
"First, while we won't waste our to react to all the irrelevant issues raised by the Ufiomites, which no doubt indicates their pettiness and infantility, in the said press statement in their vain efforts to attract public sympathies and cover-up their evil agenda of annihilating Ezza-Effium people in Effium community, which is heavily and strongly backed by state agents, we hereby react.
"To begin with, the claim by the Ufiomites in the said press statement that Ezzas are the aggressors and had violated every peace agreements reached towards ending the crisis is the greatest lie of the century and goes a long way to portray their hypocrisy and insincerity towards ending the crisis.
"There is no iota of truth in this claim as our people have shown enough disposition for peace since this premeditated crisis started. Otherwise, why did Governor David Umahi accused Ufiomites openly before Journalists, of being the aggressors, during a peace meeting with Ufiom stakeholders at the State Executive Council Chambers, old Government House,Abakaliki on February, 22, 2021?
"Many instances abound that the more our people show cause for peace since this crisis started, the more the Ufiom warriors and their hired mercenaries cash into it, to launch more deadly attacks that usually leave scores of our people dead and houses razed.
"The case of our defenceless people who were lured in their scores to converge at Nwekendiagu with a false claim that they were going for a ‘peace-talks' but were brutally murdered while waiting for the phantom meeting, is one among the numerous instances.
"Ufiom people in their infamous character of lies and deceit, also listed audio attacks on Ufiomites by Ezza-Effium people and fictitious names of persons allegedly killed, one of which they claimed was a policeman.
"Now, the questions are: if there were such attacks and killings of Ufiomites up to 1000 as they claimed in the falsehood they dished out to the public in form of a press statement, why did it take them all this long to raise alarm? Again, since when did the Nigeria Police Force abdicated the duties of its Public Relations Department to Ufiom people to manage, for them to be informing the public that a policeman was killed by Ezza-Effium people?
"Interestingly, the Ufiom people have succeeded in confirming to be truth, and nothing but the truth, our earlier alarms that the security agents sent on a peace mission in Effium community had been compromised and were aiding and abetting the ongoing genocide against Ezza-Effium people in the Community, as exemplified by unlawful release of 55 arrested mercenaries to them. If not so, why would Ufiom people be announcing the killing of a policeman when Ebonyi State Police Command has a Public Relations Officer?
"Again, the claim by Ufiom people that there is no such organization as Ezza-Effium Consultative Assembly merely begs the question and has further exposed them as a people who talk before they think, cry after thinking and remain merchants of lies and deceit of the contemporary age.
"This naked dance of shame in the public which the Ufiom people recently engaged against ECA, forces us to further ask; how many organizations did they know, or are they now the custodians of names of organizations in Nigeria? How does the non-existence of ECA as they claimed controverts the facts brought to the public domain by ECA about the annihilation agenda against Ezza-Effium people in Effium community?
"We can now know and understand the headache of Ufiom people and why they hurriedly conjectured pseudo organization some days ago and Christianed it Effium Indigenous Vanguard, in their illusionary thinking that ECA does not exist, in order to deceive the public. But unfortunately, they have succeeded in exposing themselves and their sponsors, and as always, their game has cut and failed.
"The Ezza-Effium Consultative Assembly (ECA) wishes to drum into the skulls of Ufiom people that as long as this genocide against Ezza-Effium people persists, we must and shall continue to alert the public and the whole world about this state sponsored war crime against our people.
"It is on record and public knowledge that ECA was the first group to call on the state government to prevail on the State Assembly to suspend Member representing Ohaukwu North State Constituency, Hon. Chinedu Awo and Ohaukwu LGA chairman, Mr. Clement Odah because they were fingered in the Motor park crisis, which the sponsors of this genocide leveraged on, to carryout the heinous crime against our people. Yet, Ufiom people said we are shielding Chinedu Awo.
"Note that we made the call for Awo's suspension not because we didn't know the real persons behind the carnage and the motives behind it, but we believed that the security agencies would do discreet investigations and unravel the truth so that the real masterminds of the pogrom would be brought to book. Up till today, we are yet to see that happen because Clemeent Odah, the governor's emergency son was involved.
"Ufiom people also struggled with words of emptiness to defend their brother and Ohaukwu Council Chairman, Mr Clement Odah, over our position that he is using the council's fund to sponsor genocide against the people who elected him into office. But they failed to bring up superior arguments and facts as against the ones we presented in our previous press statements to prove us wrong.
"Therefore, how has their defense for Odah removed the fact that he is a cultist and he has used it to turn Ohaukwu into a killing field since he became the Council Chairman? How has it absolved him of the fact that he has been into gun running since he was elected Council Chairman and was once caught by security agents with guns? Did they also clear him of the fact that he has been procuring arms and hiring mercenaries from different parts of the country for the annihilation of Ezza-Effium people?
"Again, the claim that Ohaukwu LG had no fund that Odah could use to fund crisis, goes to no issue, as he has been indicted several times by the State House of Assembly for financial improprieties, especially as it relates to Ohaukwu IGR.
"The question now is, is it now that he would hide under the Effium crisis to siphon public fund, that he would not do so? Certainly, not possible. This is an ample opportunity for him to show his nature in siphoning Ohaukwu fund.
"More so, the Ufiom people, through the shabby press statement in their vain efforts to defend Chief Cletus Ibeto, said, "We wish to also use this same medium to decry the indifference/insensitivity of Chief Cletus Ibeto who has not shown the slightest care or concern for the plight of the displaced Effium natives, mostly the vulnerable women and children who are in dire need of succour from philanthropists and good spirited individuals and corporate bodies."
"The above statement from Ufiom people, apparently meant to absolve the Anambra billionaire business man, Chief Cletus Ibeto, of any blame in the crisis, has directly indicted and exposed him; and further goes to confirm our stance that he was backing the genocide against Ezza-Effium people in Effium community because of his interest in the limestone deposit in the area.
"If not so, why did they choose to call out only Chief Ibetao from far away Anambra State, out of numerous billionaire business men and politicians in Ebonyi State and Nigeria at large, as being indifferent and insensitive to their plights? Indeed, Chief Cletus Ibeto has some questions to answer regarding this crisis.
"We therefore call upon the Federal Government to prevail on the security agencies to investigate the extent of Chief Cletus Ibeto's culpability in the ongoing genocide against Ezza-Effium people.
"We also wish to seize this opportunity to note that we are alarmed and irked by the latest revelation that Clement Odah is not in detention as claimed by Ebonyi State government, and even more so, considering the fact that more than two weeks after Ebonyi State Executive Council meeting resolved to report him to the House of Assembly for suspension, nothing has been heard again. This goes to confirm the allegation in some quarters that Ebonyi State government led by Governor David Umahi has a hand in Effium crisis", the statement unfolded.
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