Ebonyi State Governor and Chairman, South-East Governors’
Forum, David Umahi, on Sunday, said governors of the region were currently
hiding their faces in shame.
Umahi stated that the herdsmen they (South-East governors)
fought hard to protect were the ones killing the people.
The governor made these remarks in Abakaliki, the state
capital, when Vice President Yemi Osinbajo paid a condolence visit to the state
on Sunday.
Umahi said, “Even when the killings happened; very unprovoked killings, some people said they gave the governor of Ebonyi State 21 days to resign. We have been called all kinds of names and we feel ashamed that the same people we fight for day and night as governors and leaders of South-East to ensure the oneness of this country would know about attacks on Ebonyi State and they were asked to leave and they left, and we were slaughtered and killed.
“What face do we have then to face our people? We feel so
ashamed to face our people. When this thing happened, Your Excellency, there
was going to be very violent retaliation. But I thank God for the leaders of
this state. I thank God for CAN, the youths and traditional rulers.
“We immediately called for a stakeholders’ meeting and
reached an agreement and said for the interest of this country, there would be
no retaliation. But we are happy that you (Osinbajo) have a document that has
been given to you.
“We are not saying it shouldn’t be investigated, but that
document is information that came from the phone of the murderers and that’s
what the community printed out and handed over to you. We demand a proper
investigation.”
Umahi said three communities of Obeagu, Egedegede and Amaizu
in the Ishielu Council area and the Effium community in the Ohaukwu Local
Government Area of the state, needed the sum of N5bn from the Federal
Government to rebuild their homes and resettle.
Umahi added, “We demand that justice be given to the
victims. This is the agreement and this is the promise I made to the people of
Ebonyi State during our extra ordinary meeting on how to calm the situation.
“But it is also very annoying that herdsmen in other parts
of the state are being asked to quit because they want to attack again. This is
one attack that must not be attempted. This is because as the chief security
officer, I’m to report to the Federal Government, I may not be able to control
it.
“Let this madness
stop. No one has the monopoly of violence, but we assure the Federal Government
that there will be no retaliation, believing that justice will be done. This is
because what was provided this afternoon by way of information is good enough
to unravel what happened to us.
“We plead with the Federal Government to assist the people
of Egedegede with the sum of N2bn so that they rebuild their homes and settle
down.
“On the unfortunate killings in Effium community, we are
equally pleading with the Federal Government to assist the people with the sum
of N3bn, so that they can rebuild their homes.”
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