A soldier on a peacekeeping mission in the communal crisis-torn Effium community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, South East Nigeria has been declared missing.
Governor Francis Nwifuru has ordered the warring community to produce the missing military personnel alive before noon on Thursday, (October 26, 2023) or face the consequences.
This is contained in a strongly worded statement issued by the Chief Press to the Governor, Monday Uzor, late Wednesday.
Governor Nwifuru expressed deep concerns over the latest development, issuing a stern warning that the State government would have no choice but to declare war on those responsible, be they from the Effium or Ezza Effium factions, if the soldier is not located alive by deadline.
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The statement notes that the Governor further warns that individuals found to be culpable will be made to face permanent expulsion from the Effium community if the missing soldier remains unaccounted for by the same deadline.
ait.live correspondent in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital reports that the latest incident is coming barely two months after the peacekeeping soldiers in the crisis-ridden Effium community narrowly escaped an attack by alleged warlords during an operation in the area.
An agreement was signed by representatives of the warring factions of Ezza-Effium and Effium clans, aimed at bringing an end to the violent conflict that began on January 21, 2021, where hundreds of lives were lost, and propertiy worth millions of Naira destroyed.
(Editor: Oloyede Oworu)
