The Association of Ebonyi State Indigenes in the Diaspora, AESID, has condemned the kidnap and torture of a former Coordinator of Anuagata Development Centre, Okposi, Amos Ogbonnaya, by some political thugs.
The AESID President, Ambassador Paschal Oluchukwu, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the victim was abducted at a gun point after he was bombarded with series of threatening text messages and phone calls by some politicians in the state.
According to the President, Mr Ogbonnaya was abducted “shortly after he made some revealing expose’ on the systemic corruption that has become the modus of the third tier administration by the state government”.
Mr Oluchukwu, therefore, urged the Inspector-General of Police, Alkali Usman-Baba to immediately constitute a special crack team to investigate the matter and bring the perpetrators to book.
The statement said: “The occasion, we recall was a discussion programme on the African Independent Television, AIT penultimate week wherein Ogbonnaya had carefully reeled out how the Governor and his surrogates using the State’s Joint Account Committee, JAC siphon hundreds of millions of Federal Government’s monthly Local Government allocations while handing the administrators peanuts to run their offices.
“In outright condemning this ugly incident which we now consider as one attack on Ebonyians too many buoyed by the simple fact of the intolerant disposition of the government to criticisms and opposing views, we ask both the Governor and the CP who has shown obvious negligence in arresting the suspects should step aside.
“AESID urges the Inspector General of Police to immediately constitute a special crack team to investigate and bring these evil perpetrators to book.
“We feel justified in this request because a lot of attacks on innocent Ebonyians since Umahi ascended to power have been swept under the carpet, therefore emboldening the political thugs that are often recruited as willing tools to unleash mayhem on peaceful individuals just for baring their minds on issues.
“All that have been fingered in this terrible incident must therefore be brought to book without further delay no matter how highly placed they may be.”
While cautioning the state government against further attack on opposition leaders, the group described the development as open invitation to anarchy if such is not addressed in Ebonyi state.
Reacting to the recent crisis in Effium community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state, the accountability group said the claims by the state government that peace had return to the war-ravaged area were untrue.
“We urge Nigerians and the world to disregard and discountenance the claims of the Governor because killings are still going on in the area even as we speak. For we strongly believe that the blood of those innocent and defenceless citizens will yet cry for justice on the head of all those who have a hand in the Effium carnage.
“Conclusively, we pray for total return of peace in every troubled part of the state as we charge Governor Umahi to focus on fighting the anthropogenic hunger and poverty that his administration has made an official policy in the state rather than unleashing his army of thugs against Ebonyians who insist on doing things right!,” the group added.
