*It Was A Mistaken Identity - Commander
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and major critic of the Governor Dave Umahi adminstration in Ebonyi State, Chief Abia Onyike, has come out to tell his story of how armed men who turned out to be operatives of Ebubeagu security outfit, forcefully hijacked and whisked him away, late Wednesday in Abakaliki, the State capital.
The former Commissioner for Information in the State told Journalists on Thursday afternoon that the incident happened at the Water Works area of the capital city at about 7:00pm as he was stepping out of a popular Pharmacy store where he had gone to pick some medications on Wednesday, November 9, 2022 as two heavily armed men grabbed him, shooting in the air to scare people around, and then got him into their Sienna Toyota vehicle.
Onyike, 62, alleged that he was then taken to the old Government House, opposite the Ebonyi State Police Command headquarters in Abakaliki, where he was severely beaten and treated inhumanly for over an hour before his release, apparently on the orders of the State Commissioner of Police.
The politician recalled how his Abakaliki home had been attacked and riddled with gun shot bullets earlier in the year by agents suspected to be operatives of Ebubeagu, accusing the State government of being behind his ordeals.
The Commander of Ebubeagu in the State, Friday Nnanna, in his reaction confirmed that Onyike was arrested not abducted by his men, but that he was promptly released as his case was that of a mistaken identity. He explained that the opposition politician was not tortured as he claimed.
Police authorities in Ebonyi State was yet to respond to enquiries at the time of filing this report.
The alleged kidnap and torture incident involving Chief Abia Onyike, another opposition politician in Ebonyi State is coming amidst renewed calls by members of the opposition parties and civil rights groups in the State, for the disbandment of the State government run Ebubeagu security outfit, following series of attacks in recent times on persons who claim to be opposed to the ruling government in Ebonyi State.
There are serious allegations that the State government run private security outfit is being used to stifle and intimidate the opposition ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, the the government spokesman has severally denied the charges.
