A civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has hailed the disbandment of the South-east security outfit, Ebubeagu, in Ebonyi state, by a Federal High Court in Abakaliki last week.
Addressing a press conference in Abuja, HURIWA National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, recalled that the Abakaliki Federal High Court had ruled that the disbandment of Ebubeagu was as a consequence of several alleged human rights abuses, extortion, illegal arrest and use of firearms by the security outfit.
He noted that the court ordered the Ebonyi state government to, as a matter of urgency, pay the some of N50 million to a former Commissioner for Information in the state, Chief Abia Onyike, who the security outfit, in November 2022, allegedly abducted and tortured for over two hours.
The court also declared that the establishment of Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency was unconstitutional, null and void and that Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Security Agency and Ebonyi State Ebubeagu Corps had no powers to mount roadblocks on federal highways and major roads in Ebonyi state.
Commenting on the court ruling, Onwubiko said, “The verdict of the court disbanding Ebubeagu is a welcome development.”
He, however, decried that, “Sadly, the Ebonyi state government is alleged not to have complied by the decision of the Federal High Court and has so far neither disarmed nor has the Nigeria Police Force respected the binding verdict of the court to disarm the armed goons of the Ebonyi state governor operating under the auspices of Ebubeagu.”
According to the rights group, “… Instead of complying with the binding judgement of the court of competent jurisdiction, the Ebonyi state governor is said to have forwarded fresh bill asking for the reconstitution of similar armed vigilantes like the Ebubeagu that suffered a bloodied nose before the court of law which has the judicial powers of the federation in line with Section 6 of the 1999 Constitution.
“Even as it evident that Ebubeagu is still armed, intelligence reaching us alleges that certain persons are currently stock piling weapons within the old government house Abakiliki Ebonyi State with the aim of harming opposition politicians.
“We call on the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff, the Inspector General of Police to rapidly investigate this allegation and if credible, these weapons being stored in the aforementioned Ebonyi state government housing asset, should be confiscated by the Federal Government of Nigeria so as to create peaceful atmosphere for the election to take place.”
