3 persons shot, one missing in Ebonyi

Posted by admin Ebonyi, State News Wednesday, January 19th, 2011

Three persons were allegedly shot and one person still missing in a gun duel between rival groups in Ndike Amagu Ikwo community of Ebonyi Sate over who takes charge of the Direct Data Capture (DDC) machines for the voters’ registration.
Three of the victims were lying critically ill at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Abakaliki and one of them Alobu Benedict who sustained serious gun wounds was waiting for blood transfusion to enable the doctors to carry out surgery to extract bullet pellets deposited in his stomach.
Others who were treated for wounds from gunshots and discharged when Daily Sun visited the hospital were Uche Uche Nwajo and Clement Igboji, while one Okere was declared missing.

In their separate narrations, Uche and Clement told Daily Sun that one of their kinsmen, Mr. Titus Nkoshi a.ka. Itapa, former coordinator of Ikwo South Development Centre on Saturday last week, istormed where they were waiting for the arrival of the Direct Data Capture machines from the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) and ordered his thugs to shoot at them.
They explained that having known his antecedents they took to their heels and in the process they were caught in the crossfire.

One Mr. Okore Egiofor, a private secondary school owner in the community was among the village people at the hospital. He alleged that Itapa had trained and armed some youths in the area and the cause of the attack was for him to take custody of the machines as he was not happy with his removal as the coordinator of their development centre.
Egiofor explained that Itapa had declared that with the way he was oust as the coordinator of the centre he would ensure that the community would not have peace.

The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Mr. John Eluu confirmed the incident when contacted, adding that the police were yet to conclude investigation as there were different versions of the claims. He further confirmed that three persons had been arrested in connection with the attack.

Though he did not confirm the arrest of the prime suspect, Itapa but Daily Sun reliably gathered at the Abakaliki police station that Itapa was among those apprehended and were in police custody.

-Sunwp_posts