The people of Nguzu and Ekoli Edda share lots in common as they are believed to come from same ancestral parents.
Apart from other cultural heritage that binds them as a clan, One of the things they share in common is social events. In Ekoli every 3rd week (end) of every month is set aside for burials and other funeral services while in Nguzu fouth week (end) is an agreed schedule for such events as well.
Friday 27th March was not a weekend as usual for an average road user at Ekoli junction Nguzu Edda. Just as it is being witnessed all over the world over COVID 19 epidermic, in Edda it was rather a matter of having face to face with death experience.
The people of Ekoli have had their burials and other events which usually come in drones the previous week (end) without any form of disturbance and such was also expected of their sister community Nguzu to experience such in a peaceful manner since it has more to do with burials.
The government of Ebonyi state had earlier through the Honourable commissioner for information and Orientation Barr. Orji Uchenna Orji, made a public announcement empowering public servants including Local government Chairmen and community leaders to ensure that there is no social gathering of any kind including burials, marriage ceremonies and the likes in Inorder to help the state stop the spread of COVID 19.
In effect it simply means all arrangements covering about six burials at Nguzu is automatically cancelled and this didn't go well with some youths from Nguzu who out of frustration chose to blame the local government Chairman Hon. Barr. Eni Uduma China and Honourable Commissioner for Internal Security instead the pestilence known as Corona Virus.
Our findings have it that Some people from Nguzu tagged it as a conspiracy from Nde Ekoli to stop burials from holding in Nguzu after holding burials in Ekoli the previous week.
Their fury received fuel when they saw "The Anti-CoronaVirus Task Force" set up by the local government Chairmen, without delay descended on them as they ran for their dear lives. Without delay they youths blocked the road leading to Ekoli and began to vandalise vehicles belonging Nde Ekoli, according to one of the victims Hon. Agama Ewalu a driver with Ebonyi State Transport Company, in his words "any vehicle they see going to Ekoli they will stop it and begin to ask if they Nde Ekoli and began to beat and humiliate them and if the vehicle is owned by Onye Ekoli they Willa vandalize it".
This continued with lots of other vehicles that had Ekoli indigens received baptism of fire as some of them ram into the bush. Some passengers who claimed annonimous said" because I am not known here I had to lie that am not from Ekoli that was how I was saved, please it was not a funny experience".
" I ran into the bush and was there till the next morning before I found my way home" said by another victim.
Luck ran out on them when a former local government chairman in the person of Hon. Orji, Orji Mba who was at Nguzu to meet with his family members to know plans on a new date for the burial of late Engr. Daniel Achi. As at the time Edda magazine reached Hon. Orji, Orji Mba he said, "Iam just coming in" and when Edda Magazine asked if he was injured? He said "I was at the back but my younger brother who was driving me is still at the hospital as a result of the matchet wounds he received".
From our investigation this happened in front of Nde Edda from other villages as they watched in fear and amazement, wondering why this could happen. The associates of the current local government chairman were not spared as they were rounded up and mobbed while their locality didn't matter.
Hon. Orji,Orji Mba together with a civil Defense personnel after the torture and humiliation came to
the Army check point at Igboeze and took policemen and soldiers back there to arrest his attackers and dismantle the road blocks, the youths thought it was some Ekoli people coming to dismantle the barricades and opened fire on Oji and the soldiers. The Security men had no choice than return it fire for fire and the ambush broke.
Two misguided youths were affected by name Chidi Oji Aruo bit the dust and Agwu Obasi was wounded and smuggled to Item for treatment.
Against the insinuations in some quarters that Ekoli people with the help of the LG Chairman cancelled the burials we also learnt that earlier that morning the Task force went to Amaiyi, Amangwu and some other places in Edda for the same purpose before coming to Nguzu.
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