Ezillo Killings: Ebonyi To Pick Bills Of Hospitalised Victims

Governor Martin Elechi of Ebonyi State has said the 14 victims of Saturday’s attack at Ezillo community now receiving treatment at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, would be taken care of by the state government.

“This administration will not allow the victims in the hospital to die, as the death toll recorded so far is not encouraging.

“The government will take adequate care of the wounded and injured who are mainly women and children,” the governor, who was in the hospital to commiserate with the victims, said.

The 14 were among the victims of last Saturday’s attack that took place at Ezillo in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi in which more than 50 persons were killed.

Elechi expressed confidence that those in the hospital would survive as they were receiving adequate medical attention, including surgical operations, to extract the bullets from their bodies.

According to him, the activities of the attackers will not derail or deter him from ensuring that development reached different parts of the state.

“All those behind the atrocities will be brought to book and there is no hiding place for them, as mobile police men have been deployed from Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom  State to protect lives and property in the area.

“My general impression is not as bad as what I saw two days ago in Ezillo when I personally counted 26 corpses and within 10 minutes more were brought in.

“It is a disturbing situation; no doubt about it. The ones we saw are the lucky ones. The ones in the hospital here will survive after hospital treatment but the ones we saw in Ezillo were already dead bodies.

You need to go there and see things for yourself.

“I doubt that the people can again leave together with the type of destruction that leaves permanent bad feelings. Only God can heal the wounds not human beings,” he said.

The governor said the police from Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom had arrived in the place to maintain the peace.

According to Elechi, the police are doing everything to fish out the perpetrators of the dastardly act.

“You will agree with me that the perpetrators are mindless. We don’t know what they are looking for. The government will, however, ensure peace in the place,” the governor said.