Enugu-An Enugu based human right activist, Acha Emmanuel has accused the Ezza residing in Effium of plot to eliminate the Effium indigenes in Effium
Autonomous community of Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State.
In a press statement signed by Acha and made available to newsmen in Abakaliki,Acha said there is a grand conspiracy to wipe from the face of the earth the people of Effium by the Ezzas residents in Effium.
According to him, the records were very clear that the Ezzas residents in Effium had perfected plans to eliminate the people of Effium from their God-given land.
He added that there was such similar carnage notable
in Effium when the indigenous people of Effium were massacred in 1998,
2002 and in 2016 before the mother of the intra-communal war 2021.
The statement reads, “Since the outbreak of the current hostility
between the people of Effium and Ezza-Effium in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State, fact, rumor and propaganda have filtered into various media space, especially the social media. Some of them are quite educative. But so many are misleading with the sole aim to ensure the continuity of the war targeted at indigenous Effium people.
“In the event of the crisis, a lot of reasons have been adduced for
the recent crisis in Effium and a lot of sentiments have been wiped by the parties involved in defense. Moreover, a segment of the public believes that the current hostility between the people of Effium and Ezza residents was caused by the crisis that rocked the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Effium. But it is far from it.
“And when you talk about the crisis that ensued among the NURTW, the two characters that come into play is the Executive Chairman of Ohaukwu local government area and the member of Ebonyi State House ofnAssembly, Hon. Barr. Clement Omekannaya Odah and Hon. Awo Chinedu.
“But it becomes very disturbing that a legislator who is supposed to concern himself with the art of law making should be interested in
markets and revenue generation. Therefore, if at all it was the crisis in the Effium Park that led into the current planned ethnic cleansing, the government cannot feign ignorance of the Effium and
Ezza/Effium war.
“If the government led by Governor Umahi did not learn
and take proactive steps to checkmate legislative rascality God forbids such crisis is bond to erupt elsewhere in the state.
“The NURTW imbroglio is just a scapegoat used by the Ezzas resident in Effium just as they did during the Ezzillo and Ezza/Ezzillo war which
they attributed to the establishment of a call center at the Ezzillo market. It has been the ploy of the Ezza people anywhere to hinge their reason for war on flimsy excuse. We call the general public to
jettison the reason that it was the NURTW crisis that snowballed into the war in Effium.
“Should it be that it is the crisis in the NURTW that was responsible for the war in Effium, there would not have been the call by the
people of Ezza calling for the change of the name of the Effium autonomous community to Ezza Egu, Ezza Ohaukwu and so on. It points to
the fact that the Ezza residents in Effium had conspired among
themselves to eliminate the people of Effium. But God forbids.
“The plan for this war started when the Ezza youth leadership crisis commenced sometime last year in June. One Monday Nwankwo who was the
President of Ezza youths in Effium was forcefully removed by a group led by the member of Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Hon. Chinedu Awo.
“It is these youths recognized by Hon. Chinedu Awo that carried out shootings in the Effium market and around Effium community. They were
the one that attacked and injured Monday Nwankwo, Abraham Uchenna and
Onele Monday who is bedridden. The youths are led by one Osondu Mgbada and Eze Biggy among others. Since then, Effium community had known no peace.
“It is also the same members of the youths loyal to the legislators that were employed by one Godwin Nwnakwo (aka Nkwo motors) the erstwhile caretaker chairman of the Effium branch of the NURTW to
attack the secretary, Paul Elom. The reprisal attack from the
relatives of Paul Elom resulted in the war experienced today in the once peaceful Effium autonomous community.
“The records are very clear that the Ezzas Effium have perfected plans to eliminate the people of Effium from their God-given land. There was such similar carnage notable in Effium when the indigenous people of
Effium were massacred in 1998, 2002 and in 2016 before the mother of the intra-communal war 2021.
“There is a grand conspiracy to wipe from the face of the earth the people of Effium by the Ezzas residents in Effium. The manner and strategy at which the people of Ezza residents in Effium executed the recent war is a clear pointer to the fact that they had deliberately and carefully planned the current pogrom against their landlord”, the statement read.
