The Benue State Government has refuted a statement credited to the Executive Governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi alleging that Agila people of Ado Local Government Area of the State were behind the attack on Umwuagodo-Akpu community of Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State with an unspecified number of people were killed.
A statement by the Deputy Governor who doubles as Chairman Boundary Committee, Benson Abounu said while he sympathizes with the victims and families of those affected in the gruesome attack, it is important to state that there is no evidence linking the Agila people of Benue State to the crime.
He expressed shock at the attempt by the Ebonyi State Governor to change the narrative and find scapegoats for an attack everyone including the survivors said was carried out by fulani herdsmen.
He said even without any form of verification and against the avalanche of evidence that it was carried out by Fulani herdsmen, Governor Umahi hurriedly accused Agila people of responsibility.
“Two weeks after, in order to validate his earlier assertion, Governor Umahi is laying blame on the Agila people even as he has accepted that the attack was actually carried out by Fulani herdsmen.
He now says that the herdsmen were hired by Benue people. Even a gullible public will find this difficult to swallow.”Abounu added.
He said even when the victims of the attack had categorically identified herdsmen as the attackers; the Governor of Ebonyi State chose to ignore their testimonies and found it convenient to accuse the people of Agila who had repeatedly maintained their innocence.
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The statement questioned how the Governor of Ebonyi arrived at the conclusion that Agila people hired the Fulani herdsmen killers?
“Where is the evidence supporting the claim that Agila hired the herdsmen attackers”?
He said when news of the attack broke he engaged his Ebonyi counterpart to investigate the unfortunate incident; stressing that their findings did not support the claim that Agila people either directly attacked or masterminded the attack on Umuogodo-Akpu of Ebonyi State.
“I believe that it is now pertinent to request the Governor of Ebonyi State to make available all evidences, if any, of Agila’s involvement in the sald attack. Otherwise we in Benue will have no choice but to conclude that the Govemor’s unfounded claim amounts to inciting his people against Agila people and by extension Benue State”.
“This, in our view, is dangerous coming from the Governor of a State. We will therefore demand that Governor Umahi takes a second look at the whole saga in order to properly address the unfortunate event.”
( Editor, Omor Bazuaye)
