Ebonyi community Clash

Tension is mounting in Effium and the Ezza-Effium, two Ebonyi state communities following the murder of some residents of the areas. Some people in the two communities Daily Sun gathered have started fleeing to avoid bloodshed.
A particular spot called Ikpoki junction a.k.a Troublesome Junction in the heart of Nwafia, a major market in Effium community in Ohaukwu council is now deserted.
Trouble was said to have started following the alleged murder of one Ndubuisi Nwali from Ezza by some people suspected to be from Effium. Tension rose when news of the murder of Ndubuisi, a father of one from Nwekendiegu, Effium hit the community.
Daily Sun gathered that the two warring communities have for long been on each other’s jugular. While the Effium indigenes are believed to have migrated from Efiom in Cross River state, Ezza people are laying claim to the town, the Ezza people insist that they were the real owners of the area. Incidents of armed robbery, murder, cultism and other crimes are said to be rampant in the areas.
Last August, gunmen suspected to be assassins killed 89-year-old Nwigwe Nwonu and his son at Inikiri-Umuezeoka Effium. Police said two suspects were arrested in connection with the murder; cell phones allegedly belonging to one of the deceased were recovered from them. However, it was gathered that the matter took a different turn when stakeholders from Effium allegedly accused the Disional Police Officer in charge of Effium Division of arresting their brothers during the new yam festival.
Daily Sun gathered that the suspects were later released. But the people of Ezza raised the alarm over the way they were freed by the police without proper investigation thus raising more tension. This happened barely few weeks after the state government finally resolved similar crisis between Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo in Ishielu council of the state.
It was learnt that shortly after the death of Ndubuisi some youths quickly mobilised for reprisal attacks. But the quick intervention of some stakeholders from both sides and state government calmed frayed nerves.
However, tension rose again when youths of Nwekendiagu, Ezza-Effium gave the Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, Clement Odah, 24 hours to produce the suspects who allegedly killed their son and ensure that all those who were fingered in the killing were brought to justice or face whatever action that could follow.
Again, the state government was said to have quickly intervened and called for urgent security meeting of all stakeholders from both Effium and Ezza to deliberate on ways to arrest the situation before it escalated to a communal clash.
Speaking during his visit to the warring communities, Governor David
Umahi, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof
Bernard Odoh, described the killing of the deceased as barbaric and assured that the state government would do everything it could to restore peace to the areas.
He frowned at conducts capable of dragging both communities into war, regretting that the state government spent fortune in settling the Ezillo and Ezza-Ezilo crisis.
The governor’s representative first visited the traditional ruler of Effium community, Ezeogo Emmanuel Ekwueme to commiserate with him on the unfortunate incident which led to the death of one of his subjects and called on him to ensure that peace was maintained in the community.
He reminded him that there would be no visible development in amid crisis, adding that the state government would do all it could
to ensure that those who perpetrated the dastardly acts were apprehended and tried.
The Ezeogo Ekwueme who is from Effium, thanked the state government for its prompt intervention and disclosed that the major cause of the issues was who controlled the royalties from the forest reserve located in the area.
He took a swipe at the leadership of the council for constituting a lopsided committee made up of people from same side, saying that, that had been the cause of intermittent crisis in the community.
“I discovered that some people are not happy that one group has been benefiting from the royalty from the forest reserve and that a committee set up was lopsided one in favour of Effium people.”
Another indigene of Effium, Sunday Ejeh, alleged that the crisis was as a result of fear of reprisal attack from the people of Ezza over the murder of their son and maintained that people of the areas had been living in peace as one indivisible unit.
In their separate reactions, the General Chairman of Ezza-Effium, Mr. Titus Nworie, accused Mr. Odah of causing panic in the community by evacuating his family members to Abakaliki.
“I speak on behalf of Ezza people and I want to assure the state government that we will maintain the peace. But let it be on record that we have been at the receiving end.
“The people of Effium will come into your house and ask how much you bought the land on which your forefathers their houses and offer you money to relinquish it. We consider this as embarrassing but we have been keeping quiet because we know they were being used by some unseen hands.
“As it stands, Ezza man no longer walks the streets free; those boys who are mainly cultists rape our women and beat us up. Then recently, they ambushed a young man attending a burial of his friend’s father and without any provocation, shot him dead and fled. We are calling on the state government to investigate who did this.”
Mr. Joseph Oke from Umuezeokoha bemoaned the situation in both communities, fearing that murder of Nwigwe Nwonu and his son had escalated everything. He called on the police to revisit the matter and prosecute the two suspects earlier arrested. He said the action would pacify the people of the area and persuade them to believe that government was doing everything to punish those who committed the crime.
Youth leaders of both communities, Monday Nwankwo and Monday Enyim,
lamented the presence of some hoodlums in the committees constituted and called on the state government to take decisive measures to arrest the situation before it escalated.
Meanwhile, the Divisional Police Officer, DPO in charge of Effium Police Division, Superintendent of Police, Ibrahim Imam, has confirmed that some people involved in the killing of Ndubuisi have been arrested.
He assured the people of Effium and Ezza-Effium of adequate security maintain that all the suspects involved in the incident would be prosecuted.
One Sunday who said he was with Ndubuisi when he was killed told the reporter that they were going for a burial when the assailants intercepted them and shot the deceased.
“When we were intercepted by the boys, we tried to inquire why they blocked us. Then one of them brought out a gun and shot Ndubuisi in the chest. While I raised the alarm, his colleague shot in the air and the fled the scene.”
He alleged that the suspects whom he identified as members of Forest Committee set up by the council chairman intercepted them and inquired why the deceased ever harvested trees in the forest, a situation which he said led to an argument before the death of Ndubuisi.
“It was Double who said he identified Ndubuisi as one of the Ezza persons who used to cut down trees in the forest and said he would deal with us. Then one Friday shot Ndubuisi in the chest; he and his colleague fled when they noticed that people had started rushing to the scene.”
Wife of the deceased, Adaeze Nwali, who cuddled her 2-year-old baby, said her husband left for the burial of a kinsman and was ambushed by the suspects at Ngamgbo-Ariom and killed. She disclosed that her late husband was never in the forest in Effium.
However, when the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mrs. Peace Ibekwe Abdallah, visited the area she ordered the Chairman of Ohaukwu council, Clement Odah, to produce members of the committee or face the consequences.
Daily Sun learnt that the arrest of seven suspects fingered in the murder, might be linked to the directive of the Commissioner of Police.