By Innocent Anaba & PETER OKUTU, Abakaliki
The people of Uwalagbaegwu Iziogo Ezzainyimagu in Izzi Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, are still grappling with the fallout of the violence that visited the peaceful town, shortly before the April general elections.

One of the victims who is now crying for justice,  Mr. Igwe Edene, said he is happy to be alive, even thought he lost everything he has laboured in his 60  years on earth to acquire.

Edene Igwe and his daughter-in-law Ifeoma

He told Vanguard Metro, VM, that on the midnight of March 31, two days to the botched April 2, elections, a group of men invaded his compound, forced open his door and dragged him out, beat him with heavy sticks and hit him several times with machetes.

He had called on the state Police Commissioner, Mr Emmanuel Ayeni, to investigate the case of arson, burglary, stealing, malicious damage, assault occasioning grievous harm, and attempted murder against some persons in the town, who, he claimed, masterminded the attacks on him and his daughter-in-law on the said March 31.

In the petition to the state Police Commissioner, by his lawyer, Mr Godwin Onwusi, Edene added that after a while, he was ordered to sit on the floor and to say his last prayer.

He said that the assailants broke into his son’s house,  who is living close to him, dragged his daughter-in-law, Ifeoma Igwe out and both were taken away, to the house of one Vincent,  where he was beaten to stupor while his daughter-in-law watched helplessly.

According to him, the daughter-in-law was later taken to  shop in Iziogo,  where the sponsor and leader of the attack on him, waited for his men to complete his instruction. He said he fainted as he was being tortured, while his daughter-in-law was given serious machet injury at her back, for screaming: “They wanted to kill him (Igwe)”.

Similarly,  some other individuals, all members of the All Nigerian Peoples Party, ANPP: Sunday Awoke, Onwe Daniel, Ali Nwankalenu, Chief Boniface Ochokwu, Nwoba Nwibo Awoke, Nwoga Clement and Dorcky Micheal all of Izziogo area of Izzi council of the state, have also called on the state Police Commissioner, to investigate allegations of stealing, extortion, brutalization, arson, looting, assault occasioning bodily harm committed against some highly placed individuals in the state.

Some of the houses burnt during the violence

According to them, while they were at the polling centres or on their way home, on April 2, they were attacked by thugs who beat them up, disposed them of their money and other personal belongings. They pointed accusing fingers on a Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain in the area and a former commissioner in the state.

But former Commissioner for Health and Environment in the state, Dr. Sunday Nwangele, who was accused of playing a part in the crisis, blamed some politicians in the area for the crisis, saying that he was a victim of the violence perpetrated by the ANPP in the council.

He accused an ANPP National Assembly candidate for plunging the council into crisis because they wanted to dislodge the PDP, in the area.

Nwangele further alleged that the ANPP senatorial candidate for the election in the area, was the mastermind behind violence in the area,  adding that most PDP stakeholders in the area, who defected  to ANPP were instrumental to crisis in Izzi council.

“Our older brothers, who had political ambition have embarked on campaign of calumny, character assassination, and pull-him-down syndrome to the point of assaulting, kidnapping and shooting of their fellow community brothers and sisters,” he said.

He added: “Izzi Inyimagu has been restive because of the activities of the opposition political parties. Our brothers in the opposition decided to fuel crisis in the area against me simply because I was the only government stakeholder there. The grassroots are with us. That was all”.

But Mr Edene, in his petition, insisted that after he regained  consciousness, his house, including houses belonging to his son was  set ablaze. “As a result of this directive, my compound  was razed after they had looted our valuable property  and money inside the house,” he said.

He wants the police authorities in the state to thoroughly investigate the matter with the aim arresting and prosecution those who carried out the attack on him, his family and other ANPP members in the council.

Meanwhile,  Mrs Wilfred Nwiboko, Mr. Nwokpoku Okechukwu and Chief Fidelis Nwankwo have accused the ANPP members of perpetrating the crisis in the area, while urging the police to investigate the cause of the crisis.