All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate for Afikpo North/Afikpo South federal constituency, Barr Eni Uduma Chima, said that neither him nor any member of his Ekoli Edda community masterminded or has a hand in the killing of seven-month pregnant wife of the Ebubeagu commander, Mr Kalu Chima in Amoso Eddah, in Ebonyi State.
Chima who is the immediate past chairman of Afikpo South local government area who condemned the killing described it as barbaric, wicked and shocking.
He called on the relevant authorities to swing into action to unearth those responsible for the crime and bring them to book and expressed concern over a statement credited to the special assistant to the Ebonyi State Governor on Internal Security, Hon. Eze Panchris Ikechukwu saying that the arson and murder of the pregnant woman is traceable to him.
“The killing of a pregnant woman and wife of the Commander of Ebubeagu Security Operatives in Afikpo South Local Government Area is extremely wicked and condemnable. This barbaric act cannot be excused under any guise.
“I shall invest my time, material and other resources to get to the root of the matter and cause law enforcement agencies to bring the perpetrators to book.
“While I condemn in the strongest terms these satanic acts, I make bold to state that the general public should not be deceived by the attempts by desperately wicked individuals to divert attention from objective, thorough and diligent investigation.
“The red herring will not stand and their dubious conclusion cannot endure, for, it will be exposed for what it is- a sham.
“I do not wish to join issues with the S.A. to the Governor of Ebonyi State on Internal Security, Hon. Eze Panchris Ikechukwu, concerning the statement attributed to him to the effect that the atrocities of arson and murder of a pregnant woman were traceable to Barr. Eni Uduma Chima, former Chairman of Afikpo South Local Government Area, as the sponsor and ‘those who call themselves Warriors of Edda or Ekoli.’”
He maintained that the people of Ekoli Edda community in the council area, had no hand in the killing either and called on mischief makers to steer clear from their antics of disunity and name calling.
“Hon. Eze Panchris Ikechukwu may be speaking from an honest but ignorant mindset, especially having no training in crime and investigation. But then, such disposition should not be a license to sell dummies to the public when he has ample room to double-check and find facts.
“Eze may also be speaking from emotions, considering the enormity of the crimes and the fact that the Commander of Ebubeagu whose wife was killed, is his comrade. Also, coming at the heels of the ugly occurrences in Ekoli Edda on 26th December 2022, the temptation to generalise hastily is there, yet, one should be circumspect with words not backed up with corresponding facts.
“I make bold to assert that the arson and killing of a pregnant woman in Amoso Edda have nothing to do with the Ekoli-Edda people, who regrettably violently reacted to the killing of a youth leader- Mr. Eseni Kalu Egwu- in Ekoli Edda.
“The Amoso Edda atrocities also have nothing to do with the supporters and loyalists of Barr. Eni Uduma Chima who are currently being harassed all over the places by Ebubeagu Operatives.
“The only thing correct in the stories being sold to the public by Mr. Kalu Chima Ekuma also known as ‘Oyeoku’ (Setter of Fire), who is the Afikpo South Commander of Ebubeagu are the facts that buildings were burnt and someone killed. The rest of the narratives which desperately try to link the crimes with those who participated in what happened in Ekoli-Edda and with the supporters of Barr. Eni Uduma Chima is but a fabricated hog-wash which cannot pass even the most superficial scrutiny,” he said.
