•Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State
Governor Francis Nwifuru has condemned the killing of Ebonyi indigenes in Ogboji community, in the Orumba South Local Government Area of Anambra State and called for urgent probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Recall no fewer than 13 persons Ebonyi State indigenes were, on Monday, killed by yet-to-be-identified assailants in Ogboji community, in the Orumba South council of the state, reports The PUNCH.
It was gathered that the hoodlums stormed the area late on Monday in two Sport Utility Vehicles and attacked the people, who were holding their monthly general meeting, while also shooting indiscriminately into the air.
Nwifuru in a statement issued yesterday by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr Monday Uzor, described the incident as a barbaric and seamless act of violence meted on law-abiding citizens of the state.
The governor said in the statement, “This senseless act of violence against law-abiding citizens is not only barbaric but a direct assault on peace, unity, and the sanctity of human life.
“It defies reason and logic that a group of Ebonyi people holding meeting in a peaceful manner will be shot at on a close range. It is unacceptable, and I frown strongly at such heinous act in its entirety.
“Governor Nwifuru has reached out to his counterpart and brother, the Governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Chukwuma Soludo, and urged for a swift, thorough, and transparent investigation into this tragic incident.”
The statement further quoted Nwifuru as saying, “He trusts that the Government of Anambra State and relevant security agencies will work swiftly to apprehend and bring the perpetrators to justice as failure or compromise has the potency to come in between the relationship of both states.
“While Governor Nwifuru awaits the outcome of these investigations, he has earnestly appealed to Ebonyi people, particularly the affected families and communities, to remain calm and refrain from any form of reprisal or actions that may escalate tensions.
“Such barbarism has no place in modernity and state arsenals will be deployed to unmask the perpetrators of the bloody killings” the governor assured.
“The administration in Ebonyi State remains committed to protecting the lives and property of Ebonyi people both at home and in the diaspora.”
