The men of the Ebonyi State Command of the Eastern Security Network (ESN) code named Ebubegu security outfit has beaten to a pulp a supporter of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Afikpo North Mr Amobi Ujar over alleged destruction of campaign banners belonging to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the area.
Narrating the incident, a relative of the victim who spoke to newsmen on condition of anonymity said that Ujar got a phone call from a supposedly Ebubeagu informant and lured him to the ‘Why Worry’ area of Amachara village, in the Afikpo North LGA of the state.
He was allegedly beaten to a coma by operatives of the outfit, who hung the campaign banner of Umahi on his neck and forced him to make a ‘confessional statement’ against himself and his party, APGA.
The source said the victim, being an auto-technician felt he was called to ‘Why Worry’ to fix a faulty vehicle for some holidaymakers not knowing that he was been lured out to be killed.
The source further alleged that some bad eggs in the Ebubeagu outfit who are card-carrying members of the APC were the ones engaging in the alleged tearing of campaign posters and destruction of campaign billboards of opposition candidates.
“Ujar is just a victim of circumstance. He was in his house when someone called him and asked him to come to ‘Why Worry’ and all of a sudden, the Ebebeagu people bounced on him and started beating him.
“If not for the presence of passersby, who knows what they planned to do to him? Maybe they could have even killed him.
” He was beaten and forced to say he was working for the APGA to pull down all the campaign materials of APC candidates, in the area.
“But, we know these are all lies. He didn’t do anything. Some sponsored APC agents are the ones allegedly pulling down campaign materials of other opposition politicians in the area and the entire state,” the source said.
Meanwhile, Mr Friday Nnanna-Ujor, the State Commander of the security outfit confirmed the incident to newsmen on Sunday, in Abakaliki but, said the suspect was only arrested for a crime he allegedly committed adding that he was never beaten nor molested as been alleged.
He said that the suspect was arrested at Afikpo North LGA of Ebonyi carrying out the alleged criminal act.
He explained that contrary to the falsehood circulated in social media of the alleged frame-up, attack and beating of the suspect by men of the outfit, the suspect was caught vandalising and destroying campaign banners belonging to the APC.
He said: “Don’t call it an attack, because attack is war-like. But, the truth of the matter is that the suspect, who is an APGA supporter in Afikpo North was caught vandalising campaign banners and destroying billboards of APC candidates and so, my men arrested him.
“Nobody is framing anybody up as far as the issue of campaign billboards is concerned in Ebonyi, people will destroy campaign materials in the state and allege that APC members are responsible.
“Even in meetings, Gov. Dave Umahi has severally said that nobody should touch any campaign materials of any candidate despite party affiliations and so, we strictly keep to that instruction. “And, even in this state, we have severally caught PDP members tearing billboards of PDP candidates.
“This is just to let you know that we are non-partisan and that we do our job without being biased; so, the boy was arrested for committing a crime.
“He was not framed up: he was not forced to confess, he was not attacked, he was arrested for committing a crime.
” Once we are done with our preliminary investigation, we will hand him over to the police for further investigation and arraignment in court for prosecution.”
