Bloody!! How I was nearly buried alive in Ekoli plantation farm—Victim of Ebonyi political violence laments ordeal

A 20-year-old Man,  Mr Sunday Oji  who hails from Ogwuma Edda in Afikpo South local government area of Ebonyi state, has narrated to Famous Reporters how he had escaped through a hair’s breath from yet  to be identified gun men who had plotted to bury him alive in a side bush in the area.

Recall that Afikpo South Local Government Area  has in the past one month recorded security breaches resulting in the gruesome murder of not fewer than three young men and destruction of some valuable property in some parts of the Council area.

Oji who spoke at his hospital bed in Afikpo said
the thugs who claimed to be avenging the killing of one of them who was shot dead last week had forced him into a ditch in the bush where he was almost covered up with sand before a farmer rescued him in his taphephobia state.

The victim who had matchet cuts all over his body explained that it took the intervention of  a farmer (woman) who according to him, had come to the scene upon hearing his cries for help for him to escape being buried alive.

He said the hoodlums had already covered all parts of his body inside the grave remaining only his head ,when they heard approaching footsteps towards their direction as they swiftly took to their heels.

Oji said the hoodlums who abducted him from his village Ogwuma took him to Ekoli, a neighbouring community where they planned to bury him alive.

He said ’’ while I was in our compound, one of my friends came and told me to escort him to buy something. When we reached the store, we saw  three boys  with three bikes destroying and looting  the shop of one guy called  Imo Orji. One of them came to me and asked me where is Imo. Is Imo around and I told him  them that I don’t know. Another one asked me if I followed that guy and went there. I told him which place, that I didn’t follow anybody to anywhere. Before I could finish speaking, the other person interrupted me and said that I followed the guy and went there. Before I could know what was happening, they started heating and matcheting me with cutlass , saying that I was the one that carried the gun and shot the guy that day. I told them it’s not me and I’ve not carried gun before in my life. They said it’s not true that I’m the one. When they noticed that people have started noticing them, they bundled me into one of the bike and zoomed off and took me to Ekoli. Later they took me to Ekoli plantation farm in Ibuo where they dug the ground and put me and cover me with sand up to my chest. I was inside there suffocating, shouting before they heard footsteps of people coming and they ran away’’

In an interview with Famous Reporters, the traditional ruler of Umunna Autonomous community, Ezeogo Dickson Obo described the security situation in the area as pathetic and terrible and called on security agencies and government to intervene

“Security situation here in my community Umunna Community is very dicey,  challenging and bad. We are calling the state government and other security agencies to come to our rescue. Some People from neighbouring community Ekoli usually come  here beseige us, causing problems because they know that we don’t have some body to speak for us. This is not the first time they have been attacking us. The community is feeling bad and sad  on the  attack of Sunday Orji. We’re telling the government to intervene”

A stakeholder in the area, Cmrd. Okenwa Uka alleged that politicians who were sponsoring the dastardly act were not hidden and called on security agencies to fish them out.

”’this people are people that are known to be sponsored by political leaders in our own very local government”

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer(PPRO) Ebonyi State command, Loveth Oda said that nine  suspects in connection with the recent killings and violence in the affected communities were in police custody and would be prosecuted.

Odah said ‘’though we arrested thirty six of them, but they were screened and nine of them are in detention, investigations are ongoing and more will be arrested”

Mrs Oda further disclosed that the Police Command had also redeployed the Divisional Police Officer in charge of the local government Area and sent a crack team led by a Chief Superintendent of Police to restore sanity in the troubled communities.

The Commissioner for Internal Security in Ebonyi State, Mr Stanley Okoroemegha explained that the state government had set up a fact finding committee to unmask those behind the killings and other violent activities in the Local Government Area.

”Its no longer going to be a government thing, the community, Edda will be involved and rise up against those people, we will not leave anyone”, he insisted.