The governor of Ebonyi State, David Umahi, has suspended salaries of civil servants from Effium Community, in Ohaukwu Council of the state, over the crisis in the area, which recently resulted in the abduction of five construction workers.
Umahi also announced the removal of the coordinators of two development centres in the area, adding that he will approach the State House of Assembly for a way forward on the chairman of the council and the two members of the House from the area.
The governor alleged that although perpetrators of the killings and destruction in the area were funded from outside the state, some stakeholders of the area also fund the violence.
He said the government could no longer afford to pay their salaries, which, he said, was being used to sponsor killings and destruction of property in the area.
“Recently, unknown gunmen killed five construction workers on the state’s Ring Road project, which traverses the area. These workers know nothing about the crisis and were here to help the state.
“The suspects arrested over the incident confessed that the workers were killed and buried and the government is pacifying the families, who sought to know the location of where the victims were buried,” he stated.
