Once upon a time, Edda community in the Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State was known for peace and unity.
The Nde Edda people settled differences between neighbours or compounds , at the village square, after the elders’ intervention at the sacred house . Neighbouring clans such as Ohafia, Abiriba, Ehugbo, Abam, Okposi, among others, envied Edda for its peaceful lifestyle.
She said she lost all she laboured for in 2011, noting that her son was currently paralysed because of a severe injury he sustained during the crisis. “I can say I’m on exile because I ran away from the village to Abakaliki in 2011. The same business I was doing is what I started in Abakaliki after some well-meaning individuals helped me. That incident shattered my life. I lost my mother after two weeks of the incident, because she developed high blood pressure and since then, my son has been unwell. He is still not fine. Aside this, my shop and the goods in it were destroyed, and the amount so far spent in treating my son is up to N3m.
The people of Edda clan, also known as the Edda Egbebu, are a sub-group of the Igbo people in the South-East. The land and people of Edda have been constitutionally designated to the present-day Afikpo South Local Government Area of the state. “In front of my house, they threatened to kill him. One of the boys said they would continue to deal with him and his family members because he was supporting a particular political party. I told them that the law allows everyone to freely belong to any political party of their choice.”
Ufere said, “The situation in Edda currently is unfortunate, unacceptable and condemnable. However, the good thing about all what is happenings is that they are avoidable and preventable. It is bad. Our correspondent gathered that a 19-year-old boy, Chidi Orji, from Nguzu Edda community was murdered on March 27, 2020.Saturday PUNCH
“I am asking government to intervene in the matter. I am seeking justice for my son. He was not a chicken for them to kill him like they did. He was a human being. It is worrisome that since his death, nobody has been arrested. I am a farmer and Chidi was the one helping me in farming work. There’s nobody to assist me again.
“The boys have killed more than 30 persons from 2007 to 2020. Edda clan became a local government in 1991. It was the oldest county council in the old Afikpo division and ought to have become a local government in 1970 when the Dasuki panel brought a report about it. But it couldn’t because of what officials said about corruption in council administration. It eventually became a local government in 1991.
“I can remember vividly two women from Ekoli Edda who had gone into exile in Abakaliki, with their family members. Their shops were destroyed by theboys. On a large expanse of land where the people of Nguzu Edda cultivated yams, cassava and other crops, their farmlands were forcefully taken away from them.
They noted that the youth in the community no longer obeyed traditional institution; a development which they noted exposed the area to diverse evils. He added, “What we are witnessing in the community now is the opposite of what we used to see there. Many of those causing mayhem in Edda came from the cities.
“Government should step into the matter and do what is necessary. Good enough, the state government is currently recruiting for community policing. This is a good development. Traditional rulers in communities should screen, vet and recommend those to be recruited because it’s about security.’’In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Chima absolved himself of the allegations that he and his ‘boys’ were responsible for the crises in the community.
“When I was reelected to the state assembly, I said having been given an opportunity for the second time, it means more can be done for our people. More achievements, good things and social amenities and I was given the second opportunity because of the mass followership I enjoyed.
Emegha said, “Everybody should know that the resolution of the crises happening in Edda falls on my office. The office is responsible for the management of such crises and from time, we do know that they occur. They don’t only occur in Edda but also in other parts of the state. Stressing that the government of Umahi didn’t condone evil, the commissioner stated that soon, those sponsoring the crises in the area, would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
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