Gunmen attack communities in Ebonyi, scores killed, houses razed

The Effium community in Ezza South local government area of Ebonyi State reportedly came under attack on Monday morning after gunmen laid siege to the community, killing scores of residents and setting many houses on fire.

The attack, according to residents, was said to be a reprisal to an attack on Nwekendiagu village in Effium on Thursday where many people were either killed or injured.

It was gathered that the lingering communal conflict in the state between the Effium and Ezza Effium peoples has resulted in the repeated violence which has resulted in the killings and destruction of property.

The attack, according to a resident, was fuelled by a leadership tussle at the area’s branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, involving old and new executives and the control of revenue collection.

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Confirming the attack to Ripples Nigeria, the state police spokesperson, DSP Loveth Odah, said some yet-to-be-identified gunmen invaded the Nwekendiagu village in Effium, in the Ohaukwu local government area of the state in the early hours of Thursday, killing at least 15 persons and burning over 200 houses, including a fuel station located in the area.

“The yet-to-be identified gunmen invaded the Nwekendiagu village in Effium, in the Ohaukwu local government area of the state on Thursday and killed about 15 people while houses numbering about 200 were burnt down,” she said.

“On Monday, in what looks like a reprisal attack, some gunmen also attacked the Effium community where some people have been reported killed and houses burnt. The Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Aliyu Garba, has ordered a deployment of antiriot policemen to the area and everything has been brought under control.”

The attack on Ohaukwu LGA has been recurrent in recent weeks. On March 9, suspected gunmen from Uffiom attacked the Omege People in Ebonyi State, killing people in their dozens while about five persons were kidnapped.

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