Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA), on Monday, commended the disbandment of the South-East security outfit, Ebubeagu, in Ebonyi State by a Federal High Court in Abakaliki last week.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, lamented that Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi has turned the state security outfit which was supposed to protect the residents of the state against oppression by armed herders, amongst other marauders, to a political attack dog to oppress and repress opponents and non-members of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State.

The group issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Umahi to discontinue attacks mischievously targeted at political opponents in the state or he gets ready for mass action at the Embassies of Western Nations to make urgent demands for action to impose visa restrictions on him and his family for undermining democracy and freedom of association in Ebonyi State, Nigeria’s South-East geopolitical zone.

The court on Tuesday had ruled that the disbandment of Ebubeagu was a consequence of several alleged human rights abuses, extortion, illegal arrest, and illegal use of firearms by the security outfit.

The court ordered the Ebonyi State Government to, as a matter of urgency, pay some of N50,000,000 to a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Chief Abia Onyike, who the security outfit, in November 2022, allegedly abducted and tortured for over two hours in the state.

The court declared that the establishment of Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency was unconstitutional, null, and void and said the Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency and the Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Corps had no powers to mount roadblocks on federal highways and major roads in Ebonyi State.

Cases abound of political intolerance in Ebonyi by state-sponsored police and Ebubeage officers. The police once dispersed Peter Obi’s supporters during a solidarity march in Abakaliki in mid-September. As you may know, Peter Obi is the Presidential candidate of the Labour Party.

The Labour Party candidate for the Oyi constituency at the Anambra State House of Assembly, Mr Obinna Okafor, once accused Umahi, of sponsoring the “attack” carried out on the supporters of Peter Obi.

In January, an All Progressives Grand Alliance supporter in Ebonyi State, Amobi Ujar was allegedly framed up and beaten to a pulp by members of the Ebubeagu Security Outfit in Enugu.

Abakiliki-based journalists like Godfrey Chikwere, Peter Okutu, Agwu Chijioke, amongst others were all arrested and victimized by the governor using state-sponsored security agencies.

Labour Party candidate for the Ebonyi South District, Linus Okorie, has been repeatedly victimized, abducted, arrested and remanded through state-sponsored security agents.

Also, the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, in Ebonyi State, Prof. Benard Odoh recently called on security agencies and Nigerians to hold Governor Umahi responsible for any violence that might occur in the ongoing campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in council headquarters.

This is after his driver and police orderly were killed a few days ago at Rest House, Okpoto community in Ishielu LGA, when gunmen ambushed his (Odoh) convoy.

Commenting, HURIWA’s Onwubiko said, “The verdict of the court disbanding Ebubeagu is a welcome development, going by the rights violations and political oppression that the governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi has used the security outfit to cause.

“Apparently, Umahi, whose eight-year tenure as governor ends on May 31, and who is a senatorial candidate of the APC for the district, had of late used Ebubeagu to intimidate political opponents in the state.

“We blame Umahi for misusing and abusing state powers by converting Ebubeagu vigilantes that ought to work for the people of Ebonyi into political attack dogs of Ebonyi governor. His persistent penchant for attacking political opponents even after we petitioned the Western embassies to request that Ebonyi governor and his family members are banned from traveling to Europe and USA is legendary.

“We have already urged the Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba to change the Police Commissioner in the state, Aliyu Garba for alleged complicity and for reportedly working in cahoots with the Ebonyi State governor, and the ruling All Progressives Congress in the state to terrorize opposition parties.

“Due to the anti-democratic tendencies in open display in Ebonyi which deserves international condemnation because of the heightened levels of threats to the lives of political opposition politicians in the state, HURIWA had on February 10, petitioned the United States Embassy and other Western Nations in the country to press for visa restriction against Governor Umahi since there is no significant improvement in the respect to the fundamental human rights of all politicians irrespective of affiliations.

“It is on record that Governor Umahi, out of intolerance for political opponents in the state, directed the police and other security agencies to withdraw orderlies and security details from candidates of political parties, directors-general party officials other than the APC.

“HURIWA gives the governor 48 hours ultimatum to discontinue these attacks or we mobilize the civil society all over Nigeria for protest to the Embassies of Western Nations to make urgent demands for action on our request to them on Ebonyi governor.”

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