By Wisdom Nwedene
A yet to be identified gunmen on Thursday invaded Nwekendiagu Village, in Effium, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
9news Nigeria gathered that the gunmen invaded the village in the early hours of Thursday morning, killing at least fifteen persons and burnt over 200 houses including a Fuel station located in the area.
Speaking to 9News Nigeria correspondent on the condition of anonymity, a resident of the area that fled from the village due to the crisis fingered Effium warriors to be behind the attack.
According to him, “yes, the effiumite warriors attacked a village called Nwekendiagu and killed more than 15 persons and burnt more 200 houses including fuel station.”
9news Nigeria recalls that on 9th March, 2021, suspected gunmen from Uffiom attacked Omege People in Ebonyi State killing people in their dozen.
9news Nigeria correspondent gathered that houses were equally burnt and five persons kidnapped from Omege village.
9news Nigeria gathered that the crisis ensued as a result of a misunderstanding between two factions of Effium branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) over which group to be in-charge of collecting revenue in the Effium motor park.
Residents of the area said over one thousand have been killed in the crisis, but Ebonyi state government claimed only eight persons have been killed.
9news Nigeria reports that the ugly incident is happening despite that the State government had freed the stakeholders of both clans who were earlier arrested and detained for days by the Police on the orders of Governor David Umahi, for allowing such crisis to erupt in the area.
The Governor who had vowed not to free the stakeholders until peace returned, made a u-turn last week, by releasing them with a charge to go to their area and ensure that absolute peace returned.
The Stakeholders, in compliance to the government directive, returned home to preach peace to their people, but fillers from the area indicate that their efforts yielded no result, as hostilities between the two clans have continued to persist.
