David Umahi, the chairman of the South East Governors Forum and Governor of Ebonyi State, has vowed to hold council chairmen, traditional rulers accountable over killings within their localities.
Umahi made this known during the signing of the second phase of contracts for Ebonyi State ring roads project that took place at the new government House, Centenary City, Abakaliki
He said that the monarchs should be able to identify the youths in their localities who are perpetrating the ongoing attacks and killings in the state.
He, however, said his government was ready to suspend all projects and empower the bandits, if they could lay down their arms, even as he warned that his administration would not tolerate further killings, saying, “no more killings in Ebonyi State.”
“Let me warn all the local government council chairmen, traditional rulers, development centre coordinators, and parents that henceforth, they would be held responsible for any killing in the state.
“No innocent Ebonyi citizen would be killed, no more. Anybody that attempts that would end up in jail,” Umahi warned.
He further called on everybody in the state to collaborate efforts with security agencies to ensure permanent peace in the state.
Umahi, who was angry over an allegation that those perpetrating the killings in Anambra State were Ebonyi people, described the allegation as false, adding, “if any Ebonyi person is caught in killing, that person should be killed too.”
Governor Umahi said the killings in Anambra State were political and had no link with Ebonyi people.
He said Ebonyi State would never be part of Biafra, “because of the marginalization and slavery that Ebonyi people had been subjected into over the years by our South East brothers,” he stated.
