Communal Crisis: Five Persons Alleged to be Members of IPOB, Declared Wanted
By EDITOR
Five persons alleged to be members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) have been declared wanted by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Ebonyi Police Command on their involvement in the Ezza-Effium communal crisis in Ebonyi State where over twenty persons lost their lives and properties worth millions of naira destroyed.
The five persons are Jude Udemba, Nonso Okechukwu, Nwoke Godwin Orji, Uzor Ebube and Ndubuezi Okeze.
According to a reliable source who spoke to the correspondent and pleaded anonymity said the problem started over an alleged leadership control of the motor park which later escalated resulting in bloodbath and many casualties.
Continuing, the source said despite the state government and security agencies efforts to restore peace to the affected communities prove unsuccessful as report have it that the killings and destruction of properties have continued unabated prompting the state government to beam its search light on the youths that was said to have escalated the crisis and the elders as well.
The source further stated that state government also threatened to sanction any community who would want to get involved with any avoidable crisis.
On probing further on the whereabouts of the wanted persons by the security agencies, the source disclosed that none of them have been seen and their place of abode have been burned down during the crises.
“Despite the state government efforts at restoring peace and order in the affected Ezza-Effium community, the people have however vowed to eliminate those persons declared wanted by the authority anywhere they are seen in the area,” the source added.
Meanwhile when the correspondent contacted the Ebonyi Police Command on the motor park leadership tussle that led to the communal crisis the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of the Command, DSP Ukandu Joshua confirmed the incident that claimed over twenty lives and subsequent declaration of the above named persons wanted.
Culled from Nigerian Observer
