Ebonyi community boils, three killed, house burnt over supremacy battle between two APC leaders
From Chinedu Nwafor, Abakaliki
A bloody clash between the supporters of the Ebonyi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress( APC) Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha and the APC candidate for Afikpo North/Afikpo South Federal Constituency, Hon Eni Uduma Chima, on Monday, have left three persons dead in Ekoli-Edda in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Among the victims of the clash are: a police Orderly attached to Okoro-Emegha, his younger brother, Eme Orji and a youth leader identified as Eseni Kalu Orji.
The irate youth, it was gathered, equally set ablaze the village house of Mr Okoro-Emegha who doubles as the State Security Consultant, his Toyota Hilux van and a Toyota Seinna space bus belonging to the Police Command’s Tactical Teams.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ebonyi State Command, SP Chris Anyanwu, who confirmed the incident on Tuesday, in a statement said a total of eight suspects had been arrested among the irate youth while others were still at large.
He disclosed that a Tactical Teams of the Command despatched to Ekoli-Edda to take control of the situation, were also ambushed by the youth of the area at the village entrance, but the operatives luckily manoeuvred unhurt.
Anyanwu said the bodies of the three deceased persons have been evacuated and deposited at different morgues, adding that the two political gladiators at the middle of the whole imbroglio, Messrs Eni Uduma Chima and Okoro-Emegha, who hail from the same community, had been placed on protective custody to douse the tension in the area.
The statement reads: “Ebonyi State Police Command is presently investigating a case of Murder, Arson and Malicious Damages to Government properties and individuals’ resulting from apparent struggle for supremacy and who controls the area politically among two notable political stalwarts in Ekoli-Edda, Afikpo South LGA of the State.
“At about 1630hrs of 26/12/2022, a day popularly known as “Boxing Day”, a distress call was received that sporadic shootings and killings were going on at Ekoli-Edda between Ebubeagu operatives who accompanied their boss, Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha, the State’s Chief Security Consultant, and another group of men purported to be loyalists to the immediate past Council Chairman, Hon Dr Chima Eni, who is also the APC flag-bearer for National House of Representative in the area.
“It was further gathered that the open shoot-out was not far-fetched from previous grudges existing among the two factions. In the process, a youth leader identified as Eseni Kalu Egwu was fatally wounded, later rushed to a neighbouring hospital at Ohafia, Abia State where he was confirmed dead.
Angered by his death, the youth of the area mobilized and went on rampage, killing Eme Orji, a younger brother of Chief Stanley Okoro Emegha and an Inspector of Police attached to the Special Protection Unit (SPU). The irate youth equally set ablaze the village house of the Security Consultant, his Toyota Hilux van and a Toyota SIENNA space bus belonging to the Police Command’s Tactical Teams.
“When the Tactical Teams were despatched to Ekoli-Edda to take control of the situation, they were ambushed by the youth of the area at the village entrance. However, the operatives manoeuvred unhurt.
“The bodies of the three deceased persons have been evacuated and deposited at different morgues. A total of eight suspects were arrested among the irate youth while others are still at large.
“Also, the two political gladiators at the middle of the whole imbroglio, who happen to hail from the same community, have been placed on protective custody to douse the tension in the area, while a scrupulous investigation has been activated by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of SCIID here in Ebonyi State.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Aliyu Garba psc (+) who has visited the scene, advises that everyone affected in one way or the other in this ugly development should keep calm as he wades into the matter, please.”
