Ebonyi killings: MACBAN wants perpetrators punished

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) has condemned the recent killings of residents of some communities in Ebonyi by hoodlums saying perpetrators should be punished.

The Southeast Zonal Chairman of MACBAN, Alhaji Gidado Siddiki told the newsmen in Enugu on Tuesday that the incident was reprehensible and must not go unpunished.

Siddiki charged security agencies to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident with a view to unmasking and punishing the perpetrators in line with extant laws.

The MACBAN zonal chairman appealed to the people of the area not to rush into hasty conclusions as regards the identity of the invaders until investigations were over.

“We are not happy with this incident. This is heartbreaking and our hearts bleed. We condole with the families of the deceased and the state government.

“As an association, we appeal to the security agencies not to leave any stone unturned in unraveling the circumstances behind the killing and the identity of the killers,” he said.

Siddiki appealed to residents of the affected communities in particular and the state in general to remain calm and not to take laws into their hands.

He said that herders in the area and members of their host communities had coexisted peacefully for years, adding that he would be surprised if such dastardly act was committed by them.

He said that Nigerians were a people with common destiny and should tolerate one another.

Recall that hoodlums had on March 29, 2021 invaded three communities of Egedegede, Obegu and Amuzu in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi and killed some residents.

When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ebonyi Command, DSP Loveth Odah confirmed the incident.

Odah described the invasion as novel in the state, adding that investigation was clinically ongoing to ensure that such thing did not happen again.

“The commissioner of police in Ebonyi has vowed to bring the perpetrators to book,” she said.

She said that it was surprising that such incident could happen in Ebonyi considering the tight security architecture in the state.

The PPRO said that the affected communities, though in Ebonyi, were closer to Enugu State and that the police would not let the matter die.

Odah said that the number of deaths had risen to 15 as at March 31, 2021.

“We took many of the victims to the hospital. Unfortunately we lost some of them today raising the fatalities to 15,” Odah said.