Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi has reacted to the recent gruesome killings of villages in four communities of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu and Umuhiali in Ishielu Local Government area of Ebonyi State by suspected herdsmen, Njenje Media News reports.
The governor who went round the affected communities said he was saddened by the attack saying that such an act was capable of degenerating into another civil war if nothing urgent was done of stem the tide of criminality by the herdsmen.
In his words:
“I got very shocking news about the attack on four communities of Nkalaha, Obegu, Amaezu, and Umuhuali in Ishielu local government area of the state by AK-47 herdsmen that came yesterday and killed 15 members of these communities.
“I remember that about a year ago, we had an incident of the killing of two herdsmen within this same location and immediately the security agencies, the local government chairman and the community leaders all came together to condemn the attack and the killing and we immediately asked the security agencies to fish out the people that did that. They did fish them out and as we talk, they are standing trial in Ebonyi state while the community and security agencies appeased the herdsmen and made peace with them.
“And so, it is very shocking that overnight, all the herdsmen in Ishielu local government vacated the area which means that the local herdsmen in Ishielu were part of the conspiracy in the killing of our people. They vacated despite all efforts my government, the governors of south east and security agencies have been making to give them full protection not only in the state but in the entire south east.
“Good enough, we have the traces of those who came here. I will not disclose it but I am going to reveal the identities of the people to the highest authorities and we will wait to see what they will do. But we condemn this attack, it is not happening only in Ebonyi here but elsewhere in the country and if it is allowed to go on this way, it is capable of causing very serious civil war in Nigeria.
“We feel so sad that this kind of thing should happen in Ebonyi state, we feel so worried for our country Nigeria and we are short of words. I want to demand from the security chiefs to fish out these people because they are well known, they should fish them out and let them face the wrath of the law. It has happened in so many places and they were not fished out and that was why this kind of thing is happening. I want to appeal to these communities to be assured that we will get the perpetrators. We have their identities, we have their connections, we have the contact. Please stay calm, don’t take laws into your hands, two wrongs can never make a right so that you give us the opportunity to fish them out.”
