Gov Umahi comes down hard on appointees involved in bloody NURTW clash

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi has suspended all his political appointees from Effium and Ezza Effium communities over Saturday’s bloody National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) crisis in the area.

Governor Umahi who issued the suspension order while speaking at the State Security Council meeting held in Effium community on Monday added that all arrested political appointees will remain in police custody until peace returned to the area.

Umahi who noted that he does not have the power to suspend elected people said that he would also approach the State House of Assembly for it to make decisions on the fate of the elected political office holders now in detention.

READ ALSO: Gov Umahi imposes curfew on Ebonyi community over NURTW crisis

“All political appointments in these five wards are hereby suspended. I have no power to suspend elected people, but the House of Assembly does have and I’m going to report to them and they are going to take decision on that,” Umahi said.

He also directed the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Cletus Ofoke, to procure court order, that “For anybody to be released from detention under whatever condition, I have to authorise it.

“The political appointees will remain in the detention until absolute peace returns and anybody connected will be charged with murder; so, you will not see them quickly.

“The women will be the one to report to me. The women will come in their numbers, equal number from Effium and Ezza-Effium and report and say, there is peace.

“But any political appointee or elected that got involved, I’m screening their phones. I have asked network providers to give me their conversions and any of them that is involved will go to prison and will be charged with murder and arson,” Umahi concluded.

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