Gunmen kill Ten in Ebonyi community

Ten persons have been killed in Ukwuagba in Mgbo Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State following an attack by unknown gunmen.

The attack was carried out on Saturday night.

This is even as four persons traveling to Effium from Enugu state for burial have gone missing around the area.

Chairman of the council, Clement Odah stated this when he received the Deputy Governor of the state, Kelechi Igwe at the council headquarters.

The Deputy Governor was in the council to hold a stakeholders meeting over the incident.

Odah said the four missing persons were on their way to a burial in Effium on August 27 when they got missing.

He said they were in a party of 30 persons travelling for the burial when they had an accident at Resthouse Junction along Enugu-Abakaliki Expressway.

According to him, they were all brought to Ezzamgbo General Hospital for treatment but the four of them were in a hurry to get to the burial so they left without the others.

He said that when the other 26 left for the burial they noticed a roadblock at Agbaesa in Mgbo where some youths tried to intercept them but they managed to bulldoze their way through the roadblock and got to the burial.

However, they did not see the other four and since then their whereabouts have remained unknown.

Odah said that while the council and stakeholders were trying to investigate the matter in conjunction with security agencies, Ukwuagba Community in Mgbo was attacked on Saturday night.

“Yesterday, Ukwagba community in Mgbo was attacked and nine persons were killed and later another person died. They were massacred in their homes.

“There is a situation we were trying to manage that some persons who were our Ezza brothers were going to a burial at Effuim from Enugu state. They were 30 persons in number on getting to Rest House in Ishielu LGA, they were involved in an accident, they took him to Ezzimgbo General Hospital.

“While they were there, four persons left them and moved ahead of the 30 to attend the burial, leaving the other 26 behind. Then when the other 26 reached the venue of the burial, they couldn’t find the other four persons who left them at the hospital” he stated.

Reacting, Mr Igwe, frowned at the fresh killings and threatened to arrest and imprison stakeholders of the area if any is found complicit in the matter.

He gave stakeholders of the area 24 hours to produce the killers of the 9 persons and the missing four others in the area.

“I am very embittered in my spirit. The first civilian governor from this state and the grandfather of Ebonyi State is from this local government area. And right inside here, I can see about seven past local government area chairmen.”

“It is a shame on all of you. We did not come to paint pictures or clap for you. Do not deceive the government. It is pure falsehood, you know what is happening to yourselves, you are killing yourselves.

“You should know people who are causing trouble in your domain. The traditional rulers should be able to fish out people who are causing trouble. We have not come with the message of comfort but to sound a note of warning.

“We are tired of hearing sentimental stories of what is happening in Ohaukwu. What we want is action. Some people wrote an undertaking to the government. Most of you are here and for those who are not part of it, we will make you part of it. Because they had agreed that if anything as tragic as this happens in Ohaukwu again we should hold them responsible.

“All the people that signed that undertaking must produce those people that were killed and those that stop playing games”, he fumed.  END waylaid the people going to Effium. You can set up a vigilante to do that. Enough is enough. We must