By Alex Odeh
The people of Ihie autonomous community of Ishiagu in Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State are demanding for the corpses of a couple allegedly killed in their farm in the area to enable them perform their burial rites.
Speaking in an emotion laddened voice on behalf of the Ihie autonomous community, High Chief Ekenneobodo Cletus, the Ivo one of Ivo told journalists on Monday that the crisis rocking the community started when one Hon. Onwu from Ezza dragged the Ihie community to court over land ownership.
According to High Chief Ekenneobodo killing in Ihie autonomous community was considered a sacrilege, adding that there was always sanctions for anyone who unlawfully takes the life of another.
He recalled when he said, “one Hon. Onwu decided to create problems, he dragged the community to court. Other people followed him and dragged us to court, claiming the ownership of the land. The Onwu is from Ezza living in our place.
He disclosed further that he was the first victim in the crisis in Ihie autonomous community,”I was the first to be attacked by them. I was beaten. The windscreen of my bus was smashed.My clothes were torne, my power bank, everything was scattered. They asked me where I was going , I told them I was going there to pick cassava pellets for my farm. They reversed me that they don’t have boundaries with Ishiagu again, that Mile 2 is their boundary.
“I said, what is the problem? And they keep on saying a lot of things, that their youth chairman was murdered by the ‘soldier’ at Limca, Uturu side. So for that, they are not happy. I was trying to calm them down, because we don’t see strangers’ blood.
“Killing in Ishiagu and Ihie is a taboo. If you are involved, you must be banished for life. Even if you push your brother in anger and he died, or your wife fell down and died, you must be banished.
He equally recounted how his youger brother was beaten and the burning of the residence of one Ekweme, including the killing and subsequent dismemberment of the bodies of the couple while harvesting cassava in their farm.
“They beat our brother, my senior brother, collected his motorcycle till today. His younger brother wants to know what has happened. They did the same to him.
“Our life is not safe from what we are seeing. Three people were arrested. The same night, they went to a Ekweme house, burned the whole property. They damaged property over 20 million naira. They brought over 50 bags of cement that the man packed, with over 50 bags of rice and gari. They tear it, mix it together.
“After many warning from them to all our women that they don’t want to see them again, they apprehended the man and the wife. After he has pulled out the cassava, they killed two of them. How did we know they killed them? When they killed them, they started running by themselves.When they started running, some of them there were calling us.
“We said, what is happening? Why are you people running? They said they told them not to kill this woman. That the worst is they cut their two legs and cut their hands. Let them give us our sister and our wife and our brother corpses. Let us do the traditional rites we are supposed to do.
While suing for peace the traditional ruler of His Royal Highness, Eze Gabriel Okoro said he summoned a meeting of chiefs in the community to address the eruption of crisis in the community, adding that there could hardly be progress and development in a community where there in crisis.
Speaking on also, the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Water Resources, Hon.Chinedu Nkah urged the people of Ihie not to take laws into their hands.
He said, I” am at home in my community, Ihie autonomous community in Ishiagu. Just like I spoke at the Palace, our people are peaceful people. I came here to request them to continue to remain peaceful with everybody, including those that are living in our territory, the Ezza community.
“There is nothing like peace, and our people will continue to do anything that will bring peace. So our people, as you can see them, are always peaceful, and they will continue to be peaceful.
“I am not happy that people are missing and killed in my place. The governor, Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru is doing very well and he won’t be happy if there is no peace here because where there is no peace, there won’t be progress and development. So, let there be peace and tolerance”, Nkah declared.
Ebonyi Police Command on Tuesday last week had confirmed the abduction of a man and his wife at Ezza-Ekembe, Ivo Local Government Area of the state, when both went to their farm.
The Command Spokesperson, ASP Joshua Ukandu, said the command has despatched a team of officers to the community, saying that they only found their clothes on the farm but could not ascertain if they were dead.
He noted that a full-scale investigation is ongoing to unravel the mystery behind their disappearance, assuring the community that their men are at work.
