Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State has announced the sack of Coordinators of two Development Centres and all civil servants from Effium community of Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the State over the lingering crisis in the area.
The Governor also announced the suspension of salaries of permanent Secretaries from the area and further disclosed that he would approach the State House of Assembly for the way forward on the Chairman of the Council and the two House of Assembly members from the area.
“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.
The Governor made the pronouncement on Tuesday in Abakaliki during a security summit on the security situation organised by the State’s founding fathers, the Christian Association of Nigeria among other stakeholders.
The meeting was sequel to the November 3, 2021, abduction of three Engineers at the site of the ring road project at Effium community as well as the attack on the security agents who went on a rescue mission in the area last Sunday, which resulted in the killing of two policemen.
Umahi said that though the perpetrators of the killings and destruction in the area were funded from outside, some stakeholders of the area within the State were also part of the funding.
According to him, the government cannot sit and watch them receiving salaries which they use in sponsoring killings and destruction of the people’s properties.
“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.
He said that the suspects arrested over the incident confessed that the workers had been killed and buried and the government in pacifying the affected families, sought to know the location of where they were buried, but the hoodlums ambushed the security team who went to the area and officers have been reported killed or missing.
Rev. Father Abraham Nwali, South East Zonal Chairman of CAN urged stakeholders in the state to check the effects of hard drugs especially ‘Mkpuru mmiri’ on the youths due to its negative effects on their actions.
