Ebonyi clan cries out to IGP over 22 murder cases, rape, torture

Posted by admin Ebonyi, Headlines, Nigerian Police, State News Wednesday, June 3rd, 2020

The people of Edda Clan, Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have written the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Mo Adamu expressing concern over 22 unresolved murder cases in the area.

A petition to that effect was written by the Edda Intervention and Rescue Initiative, a group pressing for the rights of the people.

They cried out over multiple incidents, which include about 22 cases of murder, torture, assault, rape and other crimes on the people.

DAILY POST learned that a complaint letter to that effect was formally received at the IGP’s office on May 20, 2020.

They lamented that some of the cases were as far back as 2007, with no action coming from the police, even though the matters were properly incidented.

In the petition signed by the coordinators of the group, Prince Imo Ndukwe and Chief Abia Onyike, they linked some of the incidents to the activities of politicians, urging the police to take proper action.

According to the people of the clan, though the State government had some time ordered for action over the killings, words have not been matched with action, as none of the suspects has been arrested or brought to book.

Some of the incidents were linked to members of a certain group identified as ‘MOREKANBEDONE’, who are said to be loyalists to some politicians in the State.

The situation was said to have boiled over between May 2 and May 6 when three incidents of murder by alleged cult groups linked to politicians occurred in Owutu Edda.

“As if not enough siege on the people of Edda, another incident occurred on May 10, 2020, at Ogwuma Edda where a man of 20 years, Oji Sunday who later spoke to the police and the media after his recovery from beating, cuts on his body recounted that he was about being buried alive when rescue came his way.

“However, on March 27, at Nguzu Edda, another young man of 19, Chidi Oji was also gunned down and his body taken away by the alleged killers.

“While the people live in fear as they know not whom the next victim would be, they accused the police in the LGA and state of not doing much to investigate or arrest anybody,” they said.

They said it was curious that four persons died between March 27 and May 6, “and not a single arrest has been made. Even when arrests are made, the accused persons who walk free are left out while people unconnected with the incident are apprehended and later released to send the impression that something was done.”

“The government at the state is aware of these incidents and after Governor Dave Umahi had addressed the state and called on the police and the DSS to do their work at the last killings, not a single person has been arrested.

“The tardiness emboldened the same persons to embark on the torture and said burying alive of another person four days after.

“Almost all these incidents have been linked to members of a group called MOREKANBEDONE which is said to be a terror group serving the interest of a politician in Edda. And some of the incidents not linked to them are still politically motivated and we want answers to all these if there is still law and order in Nigeria, Ebonyi State and Edda.

“We have lived in this anarchy, fear and intimidation for too long and we call for rescue. We have written the IGP, the DG of the Department of State Security (DSS), the Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission and the Chief of Army Staff to come to our rescue. We can’t bear the terror anymore otherwise we will all be dead.

“A lot of members of the MOREKANBEDONE group fronting for some politicians have been fingered in the past and we want the police and all agents of the state to investigate, arrest and prosecute people involved in these.”

They said if something was not done urgently, the silence of the authorities, which had fueled the carnage over the years, would lead to a time when all of them would be murdered and no one would be left in the area.

The group further stated that the failure of the government to arrest the suspects was raising the question on whether they were giving tacit support to the members of the OREKANBEDONE.

They said presently killings were still going on in Nguzu, Owutu and Ogwuma Edda, wondering whether their rights had been subsumed under those of the MOREKANBEDONE members’ rights to kill and not be punished.

-Daily Postwp_posts