At least three persons including a Police Inspector attached to the Tactical Squad have been confirmed killed in a gunfight that erupted at Ekoli Edda community in Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, over a superiority power tussle among two APC political gladiators from the area.
The Chairman of the ruling, All Progressive Congress, APC in the State, Stanley Okoro-Emegha and the immediate past Local Government Council chairman who is equally the party's Federal House of Representatives candidate, Eni Uduma Cjima are at the center of the fracas.
A source at the local community told africafirstnews.com that the incident which occurred on Monday as the world was celebrating the boxing day, was a shoot out between operatives of the State government controlled Ebubeagu security outfit attached to the Ebonyi State Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, and some armed youths said to be loyalists to the immediate past Chairman of the Council Area who is also the Party's House of Representatives candidate in the 2023 general elections, Barrister Eni Uduma Chima.
Apart from the three dead persons, it is gathered the home of the APC boss was equally set ablaze.
The State Governor, Dave Umahi who visited the troubled community on Tuesday, was quoted as having ordered the Police to immediately arrest and prosecute the two political gladiators, Stanley Okoro-Emegha and Eni Uduma Chima.
Someone who was at the scene as bullets flew from different directions said the Ekoli Edda faceoff which finally burst out in an open gun shootout was the fall out of a long time political superiority contest between the two politicians of the same ruling APC in Ekoli Edda community.
Our Correspondent narrates that the immediate cause of the violence was a supposed December 24, 2022 youth election in the community which the APC State Chairman, Okoro-Emegha, reportedly kicked against as it saw the loyalists of Eni, emerge as principal officers of the community's body.
As the story has it, the APC boss had registered displeasure over the outcome of the election and drew the attention of the new Chairman of the Council Area, Chima Ekumankama who was said to have nullified the election and called for the group’s disbandment.
The development infuriated the Eni Uduma Chima camp and on last Monday, as Stanley Okoro-Emegha was on a visiti to the community, some irate youths allegedly opened fire on the APC Chairman, and his Ebubeagu orderlies, engaging them in a gun duel.
In the process, a youth leader identified as Eseni Egwu was gunned down and confirmed dead at a private hospital in neighbouring Ohafia community.
Angered by his death, the youth of the area mobilized and went on a rampage, killing Eme Orji, a younger brother of the State APC Chairman as well as an Inspector of Police attached to the Special Police Unit of the Ebonyi State Command.
They also set ablaze the village house of the APC Chairman, his Toyota Hilux van, and a Toyota Sienna Space bus belonging to the Ebonyi State Police Command's Tactical Teams, among others.
The Ebonyi State Police Spokesman, SP Chris Anyanwu in a statement in Abakaliki confirmed the incident stating that two suspects among the irate youths have been arrested, while the two political gladiators in the middle of the whole imbroglio have been placed in protective custody to douse the tension in the area.
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