Two aides of Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State have been accused of sponsoring the lingering communal clash between the Abaomege and Isinkwo communities in Onicha Local Government Area of the state which allegedly claimed many lives on Tuesday November 3, 2020.
The aides, SA to the Governor on Industrial Cluster, Hon. Chidozie Igwe and SA to the Governor on Internal Security, Hon. Chika Nwangene were accused of using money they made politically from the state in sponsoring the clash which has lasted over a century.
Speaking to newsmen on the clash, a community leader from Isinkwo, Mr. Innocent Elum described the crisis as well over a century old communal clash that had claimed several thousands of lives and properties worth several billions of Naira within the two communities.
Elum who noted that the crisis was an old story that had been in the public domain for years regretted that it was really disappointing that up till now, the matter still lingered, first because of the intransigencies of the two communities and the mere lack of political will by successive administrations in the state to bring the matter to an end even as he remarked that the present Umahi-led administration had demonstrated sufficient interest in resolving the matter to no avail.
According to him, hostilities broke out again on June 6, 2020 when the people of Abaomege invaded Isinkwo community killing, maiming and destroying properties.
“We ran to the press, we ran to the government and ever since, killings have continued. Isinkwo people are practically defending themselves. These people wake up any day and attack and kill and maim. Of course, they have people in the state government; they have people who are sponsoring this mayhem.
“We have reported one Hon. Chidozie Igwe who is serving in the government of Ebonyi State as one of the sponsors of this evil enterprise but he is still serving in the government of the state. I want government agencies to investigate Hon. Chidozie Igwe, he is the one providing all the arms, all the ammunitions, sponsoring and providing all the money with the money he made politically from the state.
“Gentlemen of the press, I do not know whether it has become proper that when you occupy a government office, you use the resources of government to sponsor native war. That is what Honourable Chidozie Igwe of Abaomege community is doing and people are dying, Isinkwo people are being killed in droves and no one seems to care. The state government may be doing its best but its best is not enough.
“From all indications and in all ramifications, everything is skewed against the Isinkwo people because they don’t have anybody in government. You also have Hon. Nwangene also serving in the Ebonyi state government. He is also one of the sponsors, we have reported this even to the President of the country because we wrote a petition to President Muhammadu Buhari in respect of this matter, we copied the Senate, we copied the Inspector General of Police and nothing seems to have been done and Isinkwo people are still dying in their droves”, he said.
He continued, “Yesterday (Tuesday), the Abaomege people came with mercenaries armed with arms and ammunitions bought with taxpayers’ money, firing and killing people, many people dropped dead at the end of their fire. And Isinkwo as I speak is deserted because the level of carnage yesterday was such that nobody could sleep in his house, I mean the remaining people that were not killed. And we don’t know what to do again, we don’t have the fire power, we are law abiding citizens.
“We got a report that at the end of last month, they will be attacking us with mercenaries and we thought it was a joke and yesterday (Tuesday), it happened.”
He therefore called on the Inspector General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services as well as President Muhammadu Buhari to speedily look into this matter and see how peace can be restored between these two communities as according to him, “lives have been lost, properties are being destroyed and burnt and as I speak, there is tension everywhere because they have promised to come back even today (Wednesday) after killing and maiming yesterday and we don’t know when they will come. It could be this night, like yesterday, they struck in the night and fired all through the day and killing and maiming.”
“Where do we go from here? Why has Chidozie Igwe and Honourable Nwangene decided to use the state office to exterminate Isinkwo community over a dispute that successive governments of this state have been unable to settle? Where do the Isinkwo people go? Their houses are being razed down, the little place they occupy now; they want to send us away from there again. Where do the mercenariess that participated in this hostility yesterday want the people of Isinkwo to go?
“Once again, I call on the Inspector General of Police, President Muhammadu Buhari and of course, the Government of Ebonyi state to be sincere in dealing with this matter this time in bringing this matter to an end”, he pleaded.
When contacted, the SA to Governor David Umahi on Industrial Clusters, Hon. Chidozie Igwe denied any involvement in sponsoring the communal clash saying that the onus is on him who alleges to prove.
In his words, “Please, I don’t know what you are talking about. Whoever alleges must prove, I know nothing about sponsoring any war anywhere. So, whoever alleges, the person must prove.”
On what he has done so far using his office to ensure lasting peace between the two communities, he said, “I am just an individual, whatever anybody has done is there for people to see and not for rumour mongers. These are not shadows; these are objects, what somebody can see.”
While advising the two warring communities to embrace peace, he added, “Naturally, war does not bring any good, it is an evil wind that blows no one any good. As far as I am concerned, I am from Abaomege and Abaomege is blessed, we cannot abuse God’s blessings in our lives. So, going to war, every Abaomege man detests that because God has blessed us and the Governor, His Excellency has done a lot to reposition Abaomege and the testimonies are there.
“So, there is no sane Aboamege person that is planning to go to war and should engage in any war rather let whoever that is concerned advice our brothers, let us live in peace the way we have been living in peace before because peace brings progress and development.”
Meanwhile, attempts by our correspondent to reach the SA to the Governor on Internal Security, Hon. Chika Nwangene as his telephone number was not going through as at the time of filing this report.
Photo 1: Late Eze Igwe Pius allegedly killed in Isinkwo on Tuesday by mercenaries’ weapon
Photo 2: Shells of bullets used during the attack allegedly by the mercenaries.
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