My attention has been drawn to a press release personally signed by the Executive Chairman Onicha Local Government Area, Chidiebere Uzor (Obosi); ostensibly on the gruesome murder of Oyibo Nwani; who he revealed was an agent of the Action Alliance (AA) on Saturday March 18, 2023 during the governorship election in the state.
The said murder was allegedly carried out in the full glare of voters at Amautu Town hall, a polling unit in Enuagu ward of Onicha Local Government Area. In essence, the late Oyibo Nwani was gunned down right at his duty post as the agent of the said political party. In addition, election in the polling unit was allegedly disrupted as the BVAS, ballot boxes and other electoral materials were forcefully carted away by the team of attackers.
I would have had no reason to react to a strictly criminal matter, especially as concerned parties and self acclaimed eyewitnesses have reportedly made useful statements to the police; save for the whimsical attempt to link my peace loving party (Labour Party) to an issue it has no connection with.
This release is to reassure the public; especially NdiOnyicha, that the Labour Party and it’s teeming members have no role in the crime committed or any hand in the travails of those now accused of complicity in the dastardly act. What happened at Amautu Town Hall on the said day is a heinous crime that must be fully investigated by the police and culprits brought to appropriate justice. No innocent person must be wrongfully implicated in the crime. At the same time, every effort to link it to politics must be resisted and will not be condoned.
In this regard, the forlorn attempt to drag the State Governor-Elect, Ogbonnaya Nwifuru, into the criminal act in question; ostensibly to persuaded him to truncate police investigations, now or in the future, must be condemned. The Governor-Elect, I believe, knows very well the balance of political strengths in Onicha clan and should not be drawn into a puerile propaganda which end is only to pitch him against the wider interest of justice, due process and the people of Onicha clan who are in deep mourning over the unprovoked murder of their son. I expect that the police will be given the unfettered access to investigate the reported crime and come to a just conclusion; without dragging it into the realm of partisan politics. Above all, wisdom demands that Nwifuru, who has pledged to be the Governor-For-All will not allow himself to be drawn into a brazen electoral violence that led to the brutal murder of an opposition party agent.
On my part, not being a witness to the killing of Oyibo and the events that led up to it; I cannot and have not accused anyone. However, I stand resolutely behind every effort to unravel the truth of the unfortunate incident. No amount of blackmail or intimidation would be sufficient to dissuade me from my singular commitment to the proper investigation of Oyibo’s murder. In this regard, I attach the petition signed by representatives of Amautu Community to the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi state; for all to assess.
Let me appeal to the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State, to expedite action in ensuring an immediate and thorough investigation of the said petition to unravel the truth. I also urge the Ebonyi state Governor, who is the Chief Security Officer of the State, to order a full investigation into this gruesome murder of citizen Oyibo Nwani.
I am also aware that the Amautu community has submitted a formal petition to the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Ebonyi State over the matter; being an act of electoral violence involving the killing of a party agent, disruption of election and carting away of electoral materials by named suspects. All eyes are now on the Commissioner and the Commission to see how this matter is treated.
For NdiOnicha, I appeal for calm, vigilance and commitment until justice is not only done, but is seen to have been transparently done in the painful matter of the gruesome murder of Oyibo Nwani.
Rt. . Linus Okorie,fca
(TheSenatorForAll)
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