Ebonyi Police Commissioner, Aliyu Garba, Sunday arrested Chairman of Ohaukwu Local government area, Clement Odah, lawmaker representing Ohaukwu North Constituency, Chinedu Awo over the killings of seven persons and destruction of properties in Effium community, Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi state.
About 30 other major stakeholders from the community were also arrested, they include Coordinator of Effium Development Centre, Sunday Agbo and his Effium South DC Counterpart, Eucharia Ogwale.
Also arrested were the former Chief Press Secretary to the Governor and Special Assistant on Market Development, Emmanuel Uzor, and his counterpart in Charge of Parks Development, Emmanuel Igwe.
The former lawmaker representing Ohaukwu North state Constituency and Governor David Umahi’s Special Assistant on Youth Development, Frank Onwe among others.
Blueprint gathered that the arrests were on the orders of the Deputy Governor, Kelechi Igwe.
However, seven persons were reportedly killed and many others seriously injured as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed in Effin, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
Sources said the clash was an escalation of leadership crisis in the union.
They noted that faction of the union from Effium clashed with the faction from Ezza Effium over sharing formula for the revenue generated from the park.
The clashes was said to have been spiked into the community leading to casualties on both sides.
Houses, cars and other properties were also torched as the crisis spilled over into the community.
The crisis was said to ha e escalated with many deserting the community to neighbouring communities.
Health workers and staff of the National Population Commission who were on assignment in the area were cut in the crossfire.
Following the incident, Ebonyi State Government announced a ban on activities of the Union in Effuim Motor Park in Ohaukwu Local Government Area.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Conflict Resolution in the state, Mr. Stanley Okoro Emegha, announced the ban in Abakaliki, yesterday.
Emegha said the clashes engulfed the entire Effuim and Ezza Effusion communities because the Chairman of National Union of Road Transport Workers in the area allowed politicians to meddle into the affairs of the union.
He said that Ohaukwu Local Government authorities would be mandated to take over the park where the incident emanated from.
“It was not something that happened on the grounds of IPOB, neither was it a politically related matter; it was a national transport union case dragging the leadership of a motor park.
“It has been a matter I handled earlier before this time directing that National Union of Road Transport Workers is an organisation recognised by the federal government but has no right in our motor park because we discovered that what they were doing was not in tandem with the peace effort of the state government”, he said.
The commissioner said all government personnel on special national assignments in the community, who were trapped by the crisis, had been rescued while the area was calm, following the deployment of security men.
