Ebonyi govt inciting, funding Ngbo people to attack Agila community – Benue LG chair threatens litigation

Chairman of Ado Local Government Area of Benue State, Hon. James Oche, has accused the Ebonyi State Government of inciting and empowering the people of Ngbo of Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State to attack the Agila people of Ado LGC in Benue State.

The Chairman in a statement released on Friday, 30th April, 2021 and made available to the press, said, his local government will consult with its lawyers to consider the likelihood of dragging the Ebonyi State Government to Court for sustaining falsehood that the Agila people of Ado Local Government are responsible for the April 12, 2021 attack on Ngbo communities of Ohaukwu Local Government of Ebony.

Oche lamented that, the 20 Million given to the Ngbo Vigilante to procure security outfits as named in the press release of the Ebonyi State Government and the sustained accusation that Agila people were responsible for the attack amounts to inciting and empowering the Ngbo people to attack his people and warned that “should any attack be occasioned on his people, the Ebonyi State Government would be held responsible”.

Mr. Oche reiterated his position that, the surviving victims of Ngbo attack, their family members, the Chief Security Officer of the Ngbo people Leonard Igwe, the Ebonyi State Chapter of the PDP and newspapers that did investigative journalism on the attack all corroborated the truth that, the attack was from Fulani herdsmen and not Agila people.

He further wondered why the Ebonyi State Government was hell bent on accusing his people. Oche lamented that the accusation has caused panic among his people in Agila as most of them, for fear of attack are relocating to Igumale and Apa-Agila to seek safety, creating an IDPs situation of over 3000 persons.

It may be recalled that on the 28th day of April, 2021 the Ebonyi State Government in a press statement after an Emergency State Security Executive Council Meeting accused the Agila people of Ado Local Government of Benue State for engaging the Fulanis to perpetuate the attack of 12th April, 2021 against the Ngbo people.

Oche who sought apologies from the Ebonyi State Government further admonished them on the need to refrain from fanning the embers of bitterness and discord, tasking them to lead the people peacefully.