•Govt intervenes to avoid reprisal attack
Since the 45 Ezza-Eziullo war crime suspects awaiting trial at the Federal Prisons, Abakaliki were released earlier this year by Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, residents of Ishielu Council have expressed concern over insecurity and armed robberies.
The crimes also spill over to the Abakaliki-Enugu Express, to the dismay of travelers.
The awaiting trial suspects release were reportedly secured by Umahi to enable him use them as thugs during elections proper in Ebonyi. The then deputy governor gave N40,000 to each of the former prison inmates for their rehabilitation to be fit for electioneering brute demands.
After the general elections, these liberated hoodlums constituted themselves into organised violent bandits. They, at times hold field day on broad day light for hours on the express road maiming, robbing and rapping commuters un-interrupted by security agencies.
The rampaging rouges numbering over 60 in most cases, often troop out brandishing heavy weapons have made some Abakaliki based transporters and road users from the neighbouring States of Cross River and Akwa Ibom travelling to Onitsha in Anambra State or Enugu town in Enugu State avoid Abakaliki – Enugu route.
The commuters now chose to get to Onitsha enroute Obubra – Oferekpe or Itigidi – Abaomege junctions and stop over at the popular Onueke Imoha in Ezza South Council and further board vehicles to Onitsha via Onicha – Ohaozara Councils in Ebonyi State to Mpu in Aninri and Akinukwa junction in Enugu State.
On reported occasions, information filtered, the rouges laid in wait of preys in vain, and they skulked and attacked the Fulani herdsmen whom the intermittent rustling of their livestock besides robbery of their wares to make ends meet.
This insalubrious devilish act has become a way of life for the released communal war criminals that now operate under the guise of vigilante.
Recently, some gunmen who disguised as vigilante ambushed a Fulani cattle rearer, Musa Adamu with his son, Mohammadu, at the contentious buffer zone within the ancient Ezza-Ezillor communities in Ishielu.
The victims were returning to their camp in the forest buffer where they have lived for decades grazing their cows and ram when they were halted the first time.
Adamu allegedly recognised two of the gun yielding rouges, as members of the community vigilante and he was let go, but warned never to pass by that forest track road again.
This was not without N10,000 taking away from him at gun point by the hooligans. Taking their entreaty as a child’s play, Adamu lodged complain of his attack to one Innocent Eze, the vigilante group Chairman in the area.
It was learnt that Eze, the vigilante leader had promised to caution his boys never to attack the herdsmen any longer, for what according to sources, they are good neighbours who help to guard the community through their cow rearing in the forests where they are resident.
However, three days after, Adamu was again attacked by the gunmen who after cautioning him for reporting them to the vigilante chairman, cut off his left wrist, broke the bone of the right hand and dealt several machete cuts on his head, but for his crash helmet, his skull was not battered.
His 14 year old son, Mohammadu, was not left out; he had his both hands broken with several degrees of deep sharp cutlass injuries all over his body.
Investigation by TheNiche showed that leadership of the Ezillo community and close neighbourhoods of the herdsmen have condemned the attack and urged them to avenge them self.
This is coming on the heels when the State Police Command had swiftly intervened, arrested three suspects; released one on bail and two others for robbery and attempted murder.
Following a petition by one Musa Abdullahi, the Saraki Fulani in Ishielu Council and a member of Miyelti Cattle Rearers; Umahi’s Security Adviser, Alli Odefa, has summoned the coordinator of Ishielu East Development Centre, the council chairman, the leadership of the communities and the ringleader of the vigilante group to broker peace between the parties to forestall possible brake down of law and order in the area that might result to between the Fulani settlers and the host communities.
Adamu told TheNiche that while he was being attacked and matched, he muttered to his son, to run for his dear life to avoid being killed too. On his escape, the lad was allegedly chased and intercepted by the hoodlums who as well battered him severally with a doubled edged sharp cutlass.
“When they thought that I was already dead, they chased my fleeing son, Mohammadu to halt. As I heard him screaming in pains on top of his voice, I crawled into the tick forest and escaped to the nearby Army Barracks on the Abakaliki-Enugu express for rescue,” he said.
“By the time they carried the body of Mohammadu in his pool of blood to the where I was dumped, they did not see me. They got apprehensive, abandoned the boy there and ran away. Mohammadu scampered to the express where he ran into a mobile police check point.
“The police on getting wind of the incident took carried him and cordoned off the area in search of the gunmen but they had run away. It was in the forest the soldiers with encountered the police team and my bleeding son.
“To save us from dying from blood loss, the joint security operatives took us to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, but for the doctors’ strike, I was discharge a day later to a private hospital, also in Abakaliki.
“The police also ransacked the forest and discovered my amputated left arm cut off by the wicked gunmen. I spent over a month in the said hospital and is still reporting weekly for treatment.
“They have finished my life, how do I work again and feed my family of three wives and many children, since my livestock have all strayed away for lack of rearers.”
Thanking the soldiers and the police for their prompt efforts at rescuing them to the hospital, Adamu lamented that Eze, whom he alleged was contacted on phone while he was being attacked, was arrested by the police and let off the hook along with the other two arrested.
But Eze denied conspiring with anyone to attack the herdsmen, even when the herdsmen gave records of several attacks besides alleged rustling of their cattle by the same vigilante group.
He was arrested and interrogated by the police, but later released on bail.
After extensive deliberations, Odefa brokered truce between Ezillo leaders and relations of the victim, led by Musa Abdullahi.
Ezillo leaders signed an undertaken to ensure that the herdsmen are not attacked again.
The herdsmen pledged to continue to live peacefully and go about grazing their livestock in a lawful and peacefully manner and will report any complaint to the town union president.
