Council Boss Dismisses Insecurity Rumour In Ohaukwu
By Alex Odeh| Pan Afric Reporters
The Executive Chairman of Ohaukwu Local Government Area in Ebonyi State, Comrade Sectarian Eze Paul Ituma, has dismissed rumours making the round that there is insecurity in the Council area.
Ituma, who made the disclosure in Ngbo while reacting allegations of insecurity in the area, told journalists on Monday that Ohaukwu is peaceful, even as he warned peddlers of such rumours to desist forthwith.
He further disclosed that he dissolved the leadership of Umuegara town union following a breach of the resolution reached by town union executives and security chiefs in the council to formally notify the council before convening any gathering.
According to him, the Council was trying to avoid a situation where people will take advantage of the general campaigns to instigate crisis, hence, the need to seek approval for any programme by communities and villages.
He said, “On 4th of September, four days into my office, I convened an expanded stakeholders meeting where all the town union presidents in Ohaukwu Local Government Area attended, including the traditional rulers.
“In that meeting we had resolutions and this meeting preceded the meeting we had with the Commissioner of Police and the DSS deputy director where we all agreed that before you hold any public gathering, you must have authorization from the Council.
“The reason is not far-fetched. The reason is for us to ensure that people do not take advantage of the campaign that is open to cause crisis in the local government area. We have to be in the know as the Chief Security and we all agreed on the resolution and signed and copies of the resolution are with the Commissioner of Police and the DSS both in Ohaukwu and in the state”, he said.
Moreover, the Chairman stated that the Council communicated all the town union presidents and about 746 villages in the area of the resolution, adding that the resolution did not only affects political gatherings, but other meetings.
“This resolution gets to all the town union presidents and the village heads. We have about 764 villages in Ohaukwu Local Government Area. And this resolution gets to them. We are not against any political party having their gathering. And this particular resolution did not only affects political parties; it affects other gatherings.
“The former town union president of Umuegara was in that meeting and he spoke. He signed that resolution. And not only that. They went and held unapproved programme in a school. And you and I know that school is in session now.
“And Ohaukwu legislative council in the last administration enacted a law that people should not be masquerading in public places and the major roads. But they turned that place to a carnival of masquerades when school is in session”, the Chairman revealed.
He gave reasons for the dissolution of Umuegara town union leadership.
‘We said we cannot allow anything that will cause crisis in the local government area, and that is the reason why we dissolved the town union leadership and we have since appointed new ones.
“The day of the inauguration, the traditional ruler of the Community, His Royal Highness, Eze Chinedu Chibueze Agbo, who is Ogbaba Idu III of Ezzangbo was in attendance in that inauguration. So I don’t know what type of false information they are peddling”, he noted.
Inaddition, he maintained that Ohaukwu is peaceful, even as he sternly warned those peddling false information in the area of the consequences.
“You can see that Ohaukwu is peaceful. If anybody is saying there is insecurity in Ohaukwu let him cite one incident. I think when you make allegations, you prove it. I think those people peddling this false information are planning to unleash attack on the good people of Ohaukwu and I am using this opportunity to warn them.
“I recall that three days to my office, there was kidnapping attempt, and because of the collaboration of my office and the town union leadership at Amoffia here, we rescued the man immediately. Did you hear it in the media?
“I want to use this opportunity to appeal to our people that politics is not a do or die affair. Let’s play it by its rule. It is a game of number. Let’s go and convince people. You have to convince people with what you have done because nobody will vote by force.
“Let us not because of politics put the name of our local government area in bad light, because saying that Ohaukwu is insecure is not a promotion, because you are telling people who are doing business in Ohaukwu who are not from Ohaukwu to leave. There are so many effects of that so I beg them to desist. Ohaukwu is very peaceful”, Ituma reiterated.
