Reports from Ebonyi State, South-East Nigeria indicate that there is a violent escalation of the communal disturbance between the Ezza Effium and Effium of Ohaukwu Local Government Area, with two persons allegedly beheaded.
Unconfirmed local sources say, suspected warlords on Sunday, attacked a village in Akparata area of Effium, leaving the two victims dead, and seven persons said to have been kidnapped.
Several others are reported to have sustained injuries, houses burnt down and properties destroyed.
The State Police Command Public Relations Office, DSP Joshua Ukandu has confirmed the attack to AIT.live in a telephone chat, noting that security has been beefed up in the troubled community to forestall further breakdown of law and order.
“You know Effium is a crisis zone and some people went there and killed two male and beheaded them and then kidnapped seven persons. However, we’ve beefed up security, you know we already have people within the area just to forestall this issues, but since Sunday incident, security has equally been beefed up to forestall further reoccurrence.”.
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About three weeks ago, 11 persons were murdered at Inikiri Umuezeoka, another village in the war torn area of Ezza Effium and Effium communities, by suspected Uffiom militias, though no group has claimed responsibility of this latest violent attack.
Sunday’s incident is coming barely 48 hours to public presentation of the Government White Paper on the protracted deadly Effium communal conflict by the Peace Committee constituted by the State Governor, Francis Nwifuru.
The crisis which started in 2021 has displaced many locals who have fled their ancestral homes, with properties and farm produces estimated at millions of Naira destroyed.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
