*traditional council condemns damage of property
By NWOGHA NDUBUISI ANDY, Abakaliki
Ebonyi State Police Command on Thursday said that five persons were arrested in connection with the Leadership Crisis that has caused damage of property worth millions of Naira at Mbamini village in Igbeagu Autonomous CommunitY, Izzi Council Area.
According to Ebonyi spokesperson Nigeria Police Force, DSP Loveth Odah, the report from Izzi Divisional Police Headquarters has it that Igbeagu Development Center Coordinator’s husband, Hon. Monday Nkwede reported to the Division that some group of boys allegedly pepertuating crises in the community and with the effort of his men have arrested five persons.
“Five suspects have been arrested in connection with the matter of threat to impose a levy on family of Mr.Aligwe Ede to pay after mishandling his son by some group of boys at Mbamini village in Igbeagu autonomous community by our men at Izzi Divisional Police Headquarters”
“It was the husband to Igbeagu Development Center Coordinator who took it upon himself to report the matter to the police who swing into action and arrested the boys after they failed to honour police invitation in alleged case of beating Mr.Aligwe Ede’s son and impose fine on him to pay or they deal with him the more”
The police spoke person advised the general public to always report a case of restiveness to Police instead of taking law into their hands as the security agency would not take it lightly with anybody who engage in act capable of breaching the already existing peace in the state coupled with the ravaging scourge.
Recall that Mbamini village was recently faced by internal crisis arising from group allegedly led by Mr.Chukwuma Aloji, who alongside his cohorts imposed levy on the village Head and those loyal to him which prompted to the destruction of stored farm produce with other valuables worth millions of naira.
However,Ezes’-in-Council Igbeagu autonomous community on Sunday condemned in it’s entirety the youths restiveness resulting to the destruction.
Speaking during the accused group visit to the palace of the Traditional Ruler,His Royal Highness,Eze Micheal Ogbonna Ukwa, described the attack as barbaric and inhumane invading homes of some members of the village destroying stored farm produce.
The Traditional Ruler while warning against the repetition of similar incident in the nearest future,called the people to desist from any act capable of plugging the community into internal crisis.
He accepted the apology tendered by the group led by Mr Chukwuma Nwoji who was absent from the gathering but insisted that they must provide the ring leader who had claimed that they don’t have tradition ruler during his invitation to the palace.
According to him,”first, the entire stakeholders of Igbeagu autonomous community are not happy with you peoples’ action by putting up gutters on the major road that connects you with the neighbouring villages,and as if that was not enough you blatantly ignored invitation requesting you people who claimed to be aggrieved with the leadership of Chief Aligwe Egbe to come to my palace for possible way to resolve the misunderstanding”
“Whereas, you ganged within yourselves to say that, you don’t have Eze claiming unexisting autonomous community and throwaway your village Head and attack some members of his family and some other persons”.
“We are tasking you people present to make sure that those who had earlier ran away from their homes returned back before 27th May when you promised to bring your ring leader.
“Meanwhile,we don’t want our children to be attacked again considering that the community is suffering external crises and will not face another enemy within because that translates to mocking us of the bruises already on body resulting from Ukele war.
“All the swamp and farmlands taken earlier should be given back to the rightful owner whereas,every law abiding the people before should be Maintain including period a family should farm a portion of land, while we are warning against hearing gossips of any sort from Mbamini henceforth”. He added
On his part,Comrade Monday Nkwede, Procurement Officer EBOSACA and husband to the Development Center Coordinator, told Authentic News Reporter that to ensure peace was restored in the village had through the Traditional Council body invited the two warring groups for resolution in three different occasions but Mr.Chukwuma Nwoji group has always abscond but instead, resort to attacking members of the area.
He, however, maintain optimism that their coming and apology tendered by the group was a sign that they are ready to give peace a chance.
He added that if they breach the peace move that the community would not hesitate to hand the group over to law enforcement agency for prosecution.
Lending his voice, Hon. Barnabas Nwoba, Chairman Igbeagu Development Union frowned on the ground action especially the utterances made by their leader Mr.Chukwuma Nwoji who allegedly asked the Traditional Ruler to come to his house that they would not honour his invitation.
He further explained that with the intervention of the stakeholders and by honouring the invitation after two times call that there’s hope of normalcy returning in the village,whereas, called them to embrace peace.
Meanwhile, the then Executive Chairman Izzi Local Government Area told our reporter that he was not aware of the incident but promised to know the root cause of the matter as to address it, charging villagers to be advocators of peace in their respective places.
In their separate interview, Chief Aligwe Egbe, Mbamini village Head and Mr.Ezeoke Nwogha appreciated the stakeholders for their intervention, promising to abide by the directives giving by the Traditional Ruler.
Picture (Mbamini villagers kneeling down before the Traditional Council asking for pardon over their actions)
