The Ebonyi State Government, on Saturday, said it did not send attackers to the home of Chief Abia Onyike, a former commissioner for information in the state.
Gunmen had in the morning hours of Friday, attacked the home of Chief Onyike, a critic of Ebonyi governor, Dave Umahi.
The former commissioner had told The Witness that the attackers were members of Ebube Agu security outfit, which he alleged were sent by the state government to assassinate him.
“My house in Abakaliki located at No. 1 Abia Onyike Close. Off Onwe Road was attacked this morning from 2-2.45 am. The house came under heavy bombardments and shootings, shattering my glass windows and causing damages to sections of the one storey duplex. People around who saw them said they were EnubeAgu people. More details will come with pictures in the morning,” Onyike had said.
“I want to believe that Gov Umahi sent his Ebubeagu militia to go and kill me and finish off my family just because I expressed my views condemning his dictatorship in the state.
“I call on the security agencies in Ebonyi state to take note of Gov. Umahi’s deadly antics and take urgent steps to secure the state instead of allowing Umahi to use Ebubeagu to terrorise citizens in the state.”
However, in a statement on Saturday, Chief Stanley Okoro-Emegha, Special Security Consultant to the State Government said the ex commissioner lied when he alleged his property was attacked by members of the Ebube Agu Security outfit.
He condemned in strong terms the alleged attack on Onyike’s property, stressing it was a calculated attempt by him to malign the administration of Governor David Umahi.
He said the former commissioner should desist from accusing Ebubeagu security outfit of invading his property, maintaining that the operatives were conscious of their lawful duties of assisting other security agencies to secure the state.
He said, “How can an attack of such magnitude as described by Onyike happen without him Onyike not laying complaint to the appropriate quarters especially the police within 24 hours? I want now tell you that Abia I know cannot condone such an attack if he was not the person that orchestrated it just to ignite war in favour of himself and his political party.
“He is notorious in giving false alarm. He has for years been accusing the governor of planning to assassinate him even when the governor doesn’t know he exists. The attack on Abia Onyike’s house is purely stage-managed. Ebubeagu has no hand in it.”