Ebonyi 2023: APC agents, Ebubeagu allegedly destroy campaign materials of opposition, beat opponent to coma
Please, By our Correspondent
One Amobi Ujar, an All Progressives Grand Alliance supporter in Ebonyi State, was on Saturday, allegedly framed-up and beaten to a pulp by members of the Ebubeagu Security Outfit, in the state.
The victim, Ujar, allegedly got a call from a supposedly Ebubeagu informant and lured to Why Worry area of Amaehara village, in the Afikpo North Local Government Area of the state. He was allegedly beaten to coma by operatives of the outfit, who hunged the campaign banner of Governor David Umahi on his neck and coerced him to make ‘confessional statement’ against himself and his party (APGA).
A source in the area, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the victim, being an auto-technician felt he was called to Why Worry to fix a faulty vehicle for some holiday makers.
The source, who equally alleged the All Progressives Congress’ agents that make up the Ebubeagu Outfit, had been destroying campaign materials of opposition politicians in the area, wondering why they framed-up the victim and had him beaten mercilessly.
“Amobi, is just a child of circumstance. He was in his house when someone, who works for the APC, called him and asked him to come to Why Worry. All of a sudden, the Ebebeagu people bounced on him and started beating him.
“If not for the presence of passersby, who knows what they planned to do to him? May be they could have even killed him! He was beaten and forced to say he was working for the APGA to pull down all the campaign materials of APC candidates, in the area. But we know it’s all lies. He didn’t do anything. The APC agents are the ones pulling down campaign materials of other opposition politicians in the area and the entire state,” the source said.
Meanwhile, rumours made the rounds on Saturday that the powers that be in the state have ordered the Ebubeagu operatives to either beat up the APGA senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South, Sir Ifeanyi Eleje and get him hospitalised or run out of the state until the February 25 , 2023 National Assembly election, was over.
In the same vein, Iheukwumere Okogwu- Otu, a strong supporter of the APGA senatorial candidate for Ebonyi South Zone, in the 2023 general elections, Sir Ifeanyi Eleje, has alleged that members of the Ebebuagu Security Outfit, invaded his house in the Afikpo North council and carted away valuable items.
This was as he alleged that his life and those of his family members were under threat, adding, “As we speak now, I am not in my house, for fear of being attacked or possibly killed.”
He said, “I don’t know why they went to my house. I went out early this morning for an exercise and all of a sudden, my mother called me and announced that Ebubeagu people were in my house.
“As some of them were talking to my mother outside, some of them had broken into the apartment through the ground floor. They took one bike from my house, took some important or valuable items. They also fired and punctured the tyres the APGA campaign Sienna bus parked in my compound.
“This is getting out of hand. My life and those of my family’s are no longer safe. I call on the security agencies to swing into action and to find out what the Ebebeagu people are up to.”
Reacting, the Ebubeagu Commander, in Ebonyi State, Mr Friday Nnanna-Ujor, confirmed the incident, adding that Ujar was not framed-up, but was arrested while destroying banners belonging to APC candidates in the area.
He said, “Don’t call it attack, because attack is war-like. But the truth of the matter was that the suspect, who is an APGA supporter in Afikpo North was caught tearing billboards of APC candidates and so, my men arrested him.
“Nobody is framing anybody up as far as the issue of campaign billboards are concerned, in Ebonyi State. People will destroy campaign materials in the state and tag it that APC members are responsible.
“Even in meetings, Governor Umahi has severally said that nobody should touch any campaign materials of any candidate despite party affiliations; and so we strictly keep to that instruction. And even in this state, we have severally caught PDP members tearing billboards of PDP candidates. This is just to let you know that we are non-partisan and that we do our job without being biased. So, the boy was arrested committing a crime. He was not frame-up. He was not forced to confess. He was not attacked.”
