BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
GOVERNOR of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has declared a Dubai-based human rights activitist, identified as Oluchukwu Paschal, wanted for allegedly instigating crisis in Effium community, in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state.
Umahi made this known while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state’s weekly security meeting, held at the old Government House in Abakaliki.
He said Paschal had sponsored a publication in The Sun Newspaper of 9th April, which according to the governor, triggered fresh killings in the crisis area.
Umahi said, “We took a briefing on what is happening in Effium, and we discovered that Effium has been at peace for the past two weeks until one ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, in The Sun Newspaper of 9th of April, released a very wicked allegation against the security agencies and against the Government of Ebonyi State.
“And that resulted in fresh killings and we had the stakeholders of Effium and Ezza Effium in our meeting today and our decision was to arrest all of them and to commence charges on murder, but after their firm commitment that there will be no killings again, even though we noted that this is about the 10th time that they are making such promises, we are of the firm belief that they will keep to their promises this time.”
He added, “But we have noticed that the Effium people and the Ezza Effium people are willing to return to their homes and they are willing to embrace peace, but there are still some few elements from amongst the two sides that go to social media to dish out very wrong information and it escalates tension and the resultant effect is killings. We are appealing to security agencies to watch out and apprehend such people.
“And we declare this Ambassador Oluchukwu Paschal wanted. We decided that if he doesn’t come to answer, we are to press prosecution charges against him. We’ve directed the Commissioners for Internal security and Information to write to Sun Newspaper to reveal the identity of the man. He should come and defend the write-up that resulted in fresh killings in Effium. We are determined, within the next two weeks, to get the people of Effium back to their homes.”
