By Adadareporters
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), weekend, commended the Nígerian Senate for promptly passing the resolutions sought by the senator representing Enugu North Senatorial District, Senator Okey Ezea, directing the inspector general of police, chief of army staff and the director general, Directorate of State Services (DSS) to fully investigate, arrest and prosecute all the criminal elements terrorising Uzo Uwani local government area of Enugu State.
Ezea, while moving the motion, had urged the Senate to urgently wade into the unprovoked incessant killings in the area, adding that four persons were killed in Nimbo Community with many severely injured. The senator prayed his colleagues to mandate the Senate Committees on Legislative Compliance, Police Affairs and National Security and Intelligence to ensure full and emergency compliance in order to find lasting solutions to the Uzo-Uwani killings.
He, again, asked the Senate to direct the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and the National Emergency Management Agency ( NEMA) to urgently provide relief materials to the victims of Uzo-Uwani killings to cushion the effects of these unwarranted attacks and killings at both Nimbo, Adani and Igga communities.
CLO’s executive director, Comrade Ibuchukwu Ohabuenyi Ezike, said findings show that the first major attack and killings in Uzo Uwani occurred on April 25th, 2016 at Ukpabi village, Nimbo, when suspected Fulani herdsmen bearing Ak-47 arms invaded the village killing 46 persons, destroying farmlands and crops and razing down people’s homes, thus rendering the survivors of the attack homeless.
It was gathered that the Adani-Igga crisis was a result of a communal clash between the two communities during which the Igwe of Adani was murdered and several others seriously injured.
Ezike said, “CLO investigations indicate that both the State Police Command and the government of Enugu State have intervened to restore peace to the areas.
The state’s police commissioner, Kanayo Uzuegbu, was said to have relocated to Uzo Uwani in order to ensure there was maximum return of peace to the warring communities while Governor Peter Mbah directed all the state security agencies to move down the LG to complement the efforts of the police.”
The governor, CLO said, also went to the LG where he sympathized with the families of the victims, and placed N10m for anyone that assisted in identifying the killers and ordered that those injured be taken the National Orthopedic hospital, Enugu, for treatment on the account of the state government.
He said, “In view of the foregoing, the Civil Liberties Organisation prays that the Senate Compliance Committee facilitate the movement of the security agencies namely the Police, Army and DSS to Uzo Uwani local government to commence work as directed by the Senate.
“That the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) start immediately to move down relief materials to Uzo Uwani LG as ordered by the Nígerian Senate.”
He commended the action of the Senate, Enugu State government and Enugu State Police Command on the crisis so far and enjoined them not to relent until total success is achieved and peace returns to LG.
Quoting him, “As a matter of long term action, we recommend that a larger police formation be built in Uzo-Uwani LGA to bring lasting peace to the area.”
