Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has called for the disbandment of the recently inaugurated Ebubeagu Security Network in Ebonyi State, following, allegedly, a rash of violent attacks launched on leaders of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ebonyi State.

HURIWA has also called on the Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Usman Alkali Baba; and the Director General of the Department of State Security (DSS) Alhaji Yusuf Magaji Bichi, to investigate, without delay, the alleged threats to the lives of leaders of the Ebonyi State Chapter of the opposition PDP.

The Human rights group urged the security agents to specifically ensure that the life of the former member of the Federal House of Representatives from Ebobyi State and a leading light in the Ebonyi State’s chapter of PDP, Linus Okorie, was not imperiled or endangered following credible threats against him made by the Ebubeagu in Ebonyi State.

HURIWA, in a statement authorised by the National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, and the National Director of Media, Miss Zainab Yusuf said the Ebonyi State government has constituted one of the worst threats to political pluralism in the Country just as the Rights group regretted that a state wide vigilante group set up purportedly for the protection of the lives and property of the good people of Ebonyi state “is unfortunately being used for political vendetta and politically-motivated violent attacks targeting members of the political opposition in Ebonyi State.”

“HURIWA wants the EBUBEAGU security outfit in Ebonyi State disbanded since the Ebonyi State government allegedly has turned it into a full-fledged armed political thugs of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State.

“The rights group said the offices of the IGP and DG of DSS should activate mechanisms for the clinical investigation of all the violence unleashed on members of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party and even journalists for expressing contrary positions to that of the Ebobyi State government,” the statement read in part.

HURIWA said it is in receipt of a petition addressed to it by the former member of the Federal House of Representatives from Ebonyi State, Honourable Linus Okorie, in which he expressed fear that he was facing imminent danger from the Ebubeagu security outfit in Ebonyi State following an announcement by the Ebonyi State government that he should be arrested for making a social media post critical to the government of Ebonyi State.

HURIWA disclosed that in the petition titled “My life is in danger from Gov Umahi’s Ebubeagu operatives,” Okorie alleged as follows: "My attention has been drawn to some online reports of an alleged media briefing by the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Information, Uchenna Orji, after what appears to have been a state Security Council meeting; in which he was reported to have announced that the Security Council declared one Linus Okorie wanted; and impugning that I am the one so declared wanted.

I wish to alert the world that this is another of the artful schemes of Governor Umahi to silence all opposition voices in Ebonyi state by criminalizing it’s high profile leaders, use Ebubeagu to kill me on the excuse that I was evading arrest and also a veiled excuse to close down CitiHub event centre which has long been the desire of the governor and his close Aides and family members.

Okorie alleged that he has never been invited for questioning by the police for any crime at all. He said that even if I were so invited and had failed to attend, the authorities should have followed lawful procedure of declaring a person wanted, adding that he sees “this wild declaration as a plot by the state government to not only close my lawful business in the state, but a ploy to unleash Ebubeagu operatives to kill me in the excuse that I was running away from arrest. These are all channeled towards silencing the opposition in the state by dealing a fatal blow on the major voice calling attention to the failings of the state government; especially the Ebubeagu security outfit.”

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