Nsukka—No fewer than 10 houses were burnt, while unspecified number of
people seriously injured at Ette in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area
of Enugu State, following disagreement by rival groups.
They were said to be agitating over whether to remain as part of the Enugu State or be merged with Kogi State.
However, soldiers from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army have been deployed to the area to contain the situation.
It
was gathered that the latest violence erupted when those who wanted to
be merged with Kogi State attacked a youth leader opposing their move,
after burning down his house.
According to police sources at
Enugu Ezike, the headquarters of the local council, the group “attacked
and shot the youth leader of those in favour of remaining in Enugu four
times.
“Although the youth leader, Mr. Matthias Eje, survived the
attack, he sustained several bullet wounds from the four shots, while
his house was also burnt. The attackers also burnt other houses in Onoda
part of Ette.”
The injured youth leader was said to be recuperating at a private Hospital (name withheld) in Enugu.
It
was alleged that those in favour of remaining in Enugu State later
re-grouped and launched a reprisal attack by burning some of the houses
of their alleged attackers before the deployment of soldiers.
A
prominent indigene of Ette, who spoke on the condition of anonymity,
said before the attack, “the pro-Enugu youths of Ette had successfully
repelled the invading pro-Kogi armed youths four times in the past few
weeks.
“Those attacks had in the past one year escalated to such a level that those in favour of ceding the large area fr
om
Enugu to Kogi had forced a Catholic Church Parish to close down, while
most government establishments in the area now barely exist.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/09/10-houses-razed-scores-injured-enugu-community-move-join-kogi/
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