Samuel Amahi, Abakaliki
No fewer than seven persons have been killed while many sustained varying degrees of injuries as members of the National Union of Road Transport Workers clashed in Effium and Ezza Effium communities in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, between Friday and Saturday.
As at the time of filing this report, details of what led to the clash were still not ascertained. However, a strong member of the community said the clash was an offshoot of a leadership tussle in the union.
According to the source, a faction of the union from Effium clashed with another faction from Ezza Effium over sharing formula of the revenue generated from the park.
The source, who spoke to our Correspondent, on condition of anonymity, said the clashes spiked into the communities leading to casualties on both sides.
FamousReporters reports that houses, cars and other property were also torched as the crisis spilled into the two communities, thus resulting in the bloodbath.
There was panic in the community as the crisis heightened, thus promoting many to desert the community to take refuge in some neighbouring communities.
Also, health workers and staff of the National Population Commission, who were on assignment in the area were ‘trapped’ in the crossfire.
Following the incident, Ebonyi State Government, on Saturday, announced a ban on activities of the NURTW in Effuim Motor Park in the Ohaukwu LGA.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Border Peace in the state, Mr. Stanley Okoro-Emegha, announced the ban in Abakaliki.
Emegha said the clashes engulfed the entire Effium and Ezza Effium communities.
He added that the Chairman of the NURTW in the area hob-nobbed with politicians to meddle into the affairs of the union.
He said Ohaukwu Local Government authorities would be mandated to take over the park where the incident emanated from.
According to Okoro-Emegha, “It was not something that happened on the grounds of IPOB, neither was it a politically related matter; it was a NURTW case dragging the leadership of a motor park.
“It was a matter I handled earlier before this time and I directed that National Union of Road Transport Workers is an organisation recognised by the federal government and 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.”
The commissioner said all federal and state government personnel on special national assignments in the community, who were trapped by the crisis, had been rescued.
Furthermore, he posted that calmness had returned to the area, following the deployment of security men.
“All the people trapped in the area, not only health personnel, but also staff of the National Population Commission, were safely evacuated. My office deployed security and vehicles on the directive of the governor and all of them were rescued. No scratch on them and the place is calm now.”
Okoro-Emegha added that when he contacted the State Chairman of the union, “he claimed that he was out of the state.”
This, as gathered, left Okoro-Emegha wondering why the chairman should be outside the state when his union was in shambles.
He warned that the government would bring to book all the politicians, who played a role in sparking off the crisis.
Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Aliyu Garba, further revealed that over nine persons were critically injured and were currently receiving treatment in undisclosed hospitals.
He said some suspects had also been arrested while investigation into the matter, was ongoing.
“Actually, it was my first litmus, but like I told you, normalcy has been restored; we have lots of them that have been arrested and investigations are ongoing.”
