Fifty-two armed war mercenaries have been allegedly arrested by security men as they attempted to attack Inikiri, a village inhabited by Effium indigenes of Ezza Ezekuna extraction, in the war-ravaged Effium community in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State on Wednesday, 22nd December, 2021. An eye-witness account told our reporter on condition of anonymity that the armed war mercenaries fighting on the side of Effium indigenes of korri extraction entered Inikiri village by Wednesday afternoon and began to attack the village but Nigerian Army personnel on peace-keeping duties in the community quickly rounded the warriors up and arrested them.
According to the eye-witness, "The war mercenaries who were many entered Inikiri village and began to attack compounds with guns and to burn some houses of Ezza-Effium people. Soldiers surrounded them quickly and arrested 52 of them. The soldiers after disarming the warriors took them to Effium police division".
Following this development, a rights group, Human Rights Defenders, HURIDE, through her Ebonyi State Chairman, Comrade Sampson Oko Nweke, raised a public concern on his verified social media handle after many calls the rights group chairman made to the Commissioner of Police in charge of Ebonyi State Command, Garba Aliyu, were neither picked nor returned. In the public concern, the rights group chairman called on the Commissioner of Police of Ebonyi State Police Command, CP Aliyu Garba to investigate the matter and ensure that the hoodlums are not "surreptitiously released as usual by some compromised security agents"
Comrade Sampson Oko Nweke wrote: "EFFIUM CRISIS
"Report reaching us now is that Soldiers just surrounded over 50 war machineries who went to continue ravaging Effium Community this afternoon.They are reportedly being held at Effium police station as I type this. I have called the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to bring this to his attention but he's not picking.
"We are raising this public concern now so the world will be put on the know of this development and so that the Commissioner of Ebonyi State should investigate immediately and ensure the hoodlums are not surreptitiously released as usual by some compromised security agents as witnessed few months ago where over 50 hired war mercenaries arrested by solders in the same Effium were allegedly released by the police and claimed they escaped. The fresh arrested hired hoodlums must all be brought to the state headquarters and the needful done. This is the best way not to discourage the efforts of the dedicated security operatives. It will also restore public confidence in the government's continued professing that they are bent on ending the Effium crisis completely.
"We implore everybody to come together and collaborate with Ebonyi State government and the Nigerian police to nip the Effium crisis in the bud. There is no bad peace as there's no good war.
"My name is Sampson Oko Nweke.
"HURIDE Chairman, Ebonyi State".
In another development, the National Coordinator of Nigeria Parents Forum, Mr Monday Eze, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, the Inspector-General of Police and Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police to ensure diligent prosecution of the armed war mercenaries arrested in Effium Community. The forum coordinator said that peace would have long returned in Effium Community if not for the influx and roles of hired war mercenaries. In addition, Eze charged the police not to allow a repeat of what happened on 3rd April, 2021 when 55 armed war mercenaries arrested at Okpodima village in Effium Community by the G.O.C. 82 Division of Nigerian Army and handed over to Ebonyi State Police Command allegedly escaped from custody and from criminal liability.
However, our reporter confirmed by Wednesday evening through a police officer who pleaded anonymity that "52 suspected Uffiom armed war mercenaries arrested by soldiers in Inikiri village of Effium Community were brought to Ebonyi State Police Command Headquarters, Abakaliki and were held at SWAT unit of Ebonyi State Police Command". Efforts to get official comment on the development from the Police Command were to no avail as neither the CP nor any other official of the police command picked calls.
