Ebonyi Killings: Governor Umahi Imposes Curfew

David Umahi of Ebonyi State, yesterday, gave security agencies 72 hours to bring the killers of two soldiers, a policeman and a civilian in the state to book.

He imposed a curfew on entry and exit points in the state.

The state government also denied the rumour making the rounds that herdsmen attacked school children in the state.

Umahi handed down the charge at a press briefing immediately after an enlarged security council meeting at the new Government House, Abakaliki.

He said: ''I’m not standing for either IPOB or ESN, but they continue to deny involvement in the violence but for me, criminality is criminality and I have directed security agencies to crack down on all criminal activities in the state. And for those who did the killings, the security agencies must bring them to book within 72 hours, they must do that.”

''Two soldiers and other victims were killed by gunmen on Monday night in the state.

The governor ordered that all wake keeps in the state must end by 6 pm and that anyone who defaults would pay a minimum of N1 million fine.

''We have directed that all wake keeps in the state must end by 6:pm and the local government chairmen, security agents and Ebubeagu must enforce this. All social activities must end by 6 pm. When you defy this order, you will pay a minimum of N1million because a lot of hoodlum activities that happened this week happened in the night”.

According to Umahi, all native doctors and traditional medicine dealers must register in the state within seven days.

''We have agreed that all native doctors in the state and traditional medicine dealers must within seven days, register with the Commissioner for Border Peace, with the Commissioner for Health and with the Commissioner of Police. There will be an executive order to this effect and anyone that is caught doing otherwise will be arrested and will be prosecuted.

“We are aware that there are some killings over the weekend; a policeman was killed, two soldiers were killed and I think one civilian and their killers are pure bandits. They do these killings and put it on social media that they are members of IPOB or ESN.

''We agreed that there is rampant fake news in Ebonyi State. Like today, somebody posted that herdsmen are in Ebonyi and they are killing people and schools started closing down; students and pupils started running helter-skelter. Is that what we will continue to tolerate?

“And so, I have directed whether you are in opposition, whether you are in agreement, whatever you are, you should be tracked down so that you should be going to court to prove whatever thing you are putting up.”

As part of measures to stem the tide of the unwarranted killings in the state, the governor imposed a curfew between 8 pm and 6 am on every entry and exit point across the state.

Also denying the rumour of herdsmen attacks on schools, the Commissioner for Security and Border Peace and Conflict resolution, Mr Stanley Okoro-emegha said no such thing happened.