Governor David Umahi has condemned the gruesome killing of the traditional ruler of the Umuezekoha Community in the Ezza North Local Government Area of the State, Eze Igboke Ewa.
Igboke Ewa, who was also the Chairman of the Ezza Traditional Rulers Council was murdered in his home on Monday night by unknown assailants suspected to be political thugs.
Briefing Journalists on Tuesday in his office, Governor Umahi described the incident as both shocking and disturbing.
He described the late traditional ruler as an upright man who contributed selflessly to the unity and development of the state, insisting that no life should be lost on account of politics.
The Governor strengthened his directive to security agencies in the State to urgently fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act and bring them to book.
He warned the youths against being used to shed blood, adding: “whatever one sows, he will reap.
Governor Umahi who further decried the level of irregularities and security breaches allegedly perpetrated by some opposition parties during last Saturday’s election in the State, also maintained that the conduct of security agencies in some parts of the State left nothing to be desired.
The Governor accused the Commissioner of Police, Sunday Olaleye of encouraging laxity amongst his men which resulted in some security lapses during the elections.
“The Commissioner of Police that is newly posted here is not doing his work.
“He is just sitting on the fence but I have warned him that he will be responsible if anything happens.
“The security Agencies are not being firm, they keep quiet when these crises are growing only to claim to be doing something when the problem is full-blown.
“My advice is for them to always nip crises in the bud, not only in Ebonyi but all over Nigeria”.
Speaking further on the elections, Umahi noted: “We don’t have problems with the Presidential election in the State, but we have problems with the senatorial and House of representative polls.
“There were over voting, violence against voters and INEC ad-hoc personnel, among other kinds of irregularities, and the conduct of security agencies, especially in Ebonyi South, left nothing to be desired.
“Up to 23 security thugs were imported into the State.
“Some of them have been arrested, and I assure you it will not be swept under the carpet”.
While he asked Ebonyians for calm, the Governor appealed to politicians in the State to exercise restraint and desist from inciting statements capable of truncating the peace in the State.
He however warned that the people of the State would seriously resist security connivance with the opposition to perpetrate irregularities in the March 11 Guber and State Assembly polls.
Speaking in a statement issued by his media aide, Chooks Oko, Umahi State, “We know those inciting the people as always, and they can’t get away with it this time.
“And we will resist the connivance of security agencies with the opposition parties to perpetrate misconducts in the next election,” he warned.
The Governor also seized the opportunity to thank Ebonyians for believing in him and giving him victory at the polls as the Senator-elect for Ebonyi South, promising to offer quality representation in his consistency.
