BY VICTOR NWEGEDE
Ebonyi State Governor, Engineer David Umahi has suspended all the civil servants from Effium crisis community of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, following the security threats in the axis, which resulted into the recent abduction of five construction workers while executing the ring road project in their vicinity.
Umahi made the declaration in Abakaliki during a peace meeting organised by the state’s founding fathers, the Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN), among others.
The governor said that though those perpetrating the killings and wanton destruction in the crisis zone were funded from outside, some stakeholders of the affected community within the state, also have a hand in sponsoring such crime.
He, said, "the coordinators of the two development centres from the area are hereby removed from office while salaries of permanent secretaries from the area are suspended.”
Umahi disclosed that he would approach Ebonyi State House of Assembly on the way forward concerning the position of the Local Government Chairman and the two House of Assembly members from the area.
He maintained that his administration will not be watching them receiving salaries, to use in sponsoring killings and destruction of the people's property.
“Recently, five construction workers on the state’s ring road which passes through the area were killed by unknown people and these workers who know nothing about the crisis were here to help the state," the governor said.
He also revealed that the suspects arrested over the incident confessed that the workers had been killed and buried, saying the state government in pacifying the affected families, sought to know the location of where their bodies were buried.
“The hoodlums ambushed the security team who went to the area and officers have been reportedly killed or missing," he added.
He at the same time, directed stakeholders from the area to handle the issue within seven days or attract severe actions from the Federal government.
“My hands are tied on the matter as I swore to protect the lives and property of the people," Umahi hinted.
The Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria in the South East Zone, Rev. Fr. Abraham Chukwuma Nwali, urged stakeholders in the state to check the effects of hard drugs especially ‘mkprummiri’ on the youths in considering its negative effects on their actions nowadays.
