Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
There has been pandemonium in Oso Edda, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State as the people of the community and their Amasiri neighbours in Afikpo Local Government Area of the state engaged themselves in a fierce battle leading to the beheading of four persons.
It was said that the two communities have been at war for decades now over land with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
Efforts have been made by successive administrations in the state and the present government to end the aged long communal war but non has succeeded.
It was gathered that by midnight on Thursday, suspected assailants stormed one of the villages in Oso Edda and beheaded four persons in the area.
The assailants took the heads of the deceased away after beheading them.
Many people sustained varying degrees of injuries in the attack. It was also learnt that many indigenes of the community were abducted by the suspected assailants and have not been seen till now.
The state Commissioner for Internal Security, Chief Etta Ude who confirmed the incident on Friday morning, said security has been beefed up in the area.
“It is a fact. By 5pm on Thursday, I was called that some hoodlums, that’s what I call them. So, I was called that the hoodlums went into one of the villages in Oso Edda and massacred about four persons.
“I intervened, and I called the two council chairmen and we made a deliberate attempt to stop it from escalating.
“I also called the Army battalion, the police and other security agencies and they all moved in there. As of now, everywhere is calm,” he said. Ude called for massive arrest to end the killings and warned perpetrators not to dare government.
“What we have taken as a decision with the Commissioner of Police is that there must be a massive arrest so that we will know the root cause of this problem. “If there are people who are involved, they must be put to book and the law will take its cause.
“We should not be troubling our dear governor all the time.”
Meanwhile, Ebonyi State governor, Francis Nwifuru, has directed security agencies to carry out thorough investigations into the circumstances that led to the recent attack.
Nwifuru described the attack as barbaric and flagrant disregard to sanctity of human life.
He said , “I received with rude shock the news of the recent attack on Oso Edda, which claimed lives and led to destruction of property.
“This act of callousness is a direct affront to our commitment to restoring peace in our communities and we cannot tolerate it.
“As a government, the security of lives and property of our people is of utmost importance and no effort will be spared to get to the root of the matter,” he said.
The governor said he is collaborating with law enforcement agents to fish out the perpetrators, while appealing to the affected community not to engage in reprisal attack.
He directed law enforcement agents to take swift action and mobilise fully to the area to forestall reoccurrence or reprisals.
