By Dennis Agbo

ABAKALIKI— THE Central Working Committee and Monitoring Team of Ebonyi State Weapon Take-over Committee has recovered some dangerous arms from illegal owners at Ohaukwu, Ebonyi and Ohaozara local government areas of the state.

The arms recovered by the committee include two double barrel guns, five single barrel guns, two locally made pistols, 84 catragies and six live 9mm ammunition. Governor Martin Elechi had on 24 June 2010, following disturbing reports of large supplies of dangerous weapons in most of the local government areas in the state in the hands of unauthorized persons, granted 10 days amnesty to criminals in the state.

Eight local councils visited Receiving the arms, the state’s Commissioner for Boarder, Security and Conflict Resolution, Mr. Donatus Ajah, said the committee visited eight local government areas in the state to ascertain the level of compliance of the people on the appeal made by the governor. According to him, the council areas visited include, Ebonyi, Ohaukwu, Ishielu, Onicha, Abakaliki, Ikwo, Ohaozara and Ezza South.

He said with the compliance level recorded, the amnesty programme of the state government would be a huge success. Pledges N50,000 to informants Mr. Ajah assured the people of the state government’s readiness to pay N50,000 to any individual that gives reasonable information on where arms could be recovered in the state, stressing the need for a total surrender of arms during the 10 days’ grace.

“Ebonyi people have been responding positively to the appeal of the state governor. It is our believe that at the end of the 10 days’ amnesty programme, all the arms illegally possessed by people in the state would have been surrendered to the government.

 “We want to have a state devoid of violence. Our assurance is that nobody would be molested or charged to court for surrendering his arms,” he said. Reacting to the development, the Council Chairman of Ohaozara local government area, Hyacinth Nwode, said traditional rulers, the clergy and stakeholders of the area were used to encourage the people on the need to surrender their arms.

Appeals to communities to surrender arms Mr. Nwode noted that the council had last Friday visited Uburu community to appeal to the people to surrender their arms, adding that the council would visit Okposi and Ugwulangwu on Monday to also appeal to the conscience of the people.

“We are appealing to our people to surrender their arms because we would not want a repeat of the ugly incident of 2007. “Some of the houses of top political office holders burnt by youths are yet to be rebuilt and this is another election period and we don’t want bloodshed in Ohaozara again,” he said.