Governor Francis Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has ordered the arrest of six commissioners and the suspension of the chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area over allegations of breaching contract terms for the construction of 140 housing units in Izzo and Amaze communities.
The arrested officials include Professor Omari Omaka (Tertiary Education), Victor Chukwu (Environment), Ifeanyi Ogbuewu (Culture and Tourism), Uchenna Igwe (Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters), Moses Ekuma (Health), and Felix Igboke (Project Monitoring). The Afikpo Local Government Chairman, Timothy Nwachi, has also been suspended. Reports indicate that the affected commissioners were declared wanted by the state government before their arrests.
Speaking in Abakaliki, Ilang Donatus, Chairman of the State Executive Council Committee on the Izzo and Amaze Housing Project, stated that the government acted because the commissioners and contractors had allegedly violated the terms of their contracts. The delays in project completion, he said, were hindering the governor’s plan to commission the housing units to mark his two-year anniversary in office.
Governor Nwifuru expressed his frustration over the slow pace of work on the housing project, which was intended to provide relief for victims of communal crises. He emphasized that those responsible for the delays would be held accountable.
Maria Okohu, Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Mobilization, Ebonyi Central, described the failure of the contractors and commissioners to meet the government’s expectations as an act of sabotage. She stated that arrests would continue until all those involved were brought to justice and the project was completed.
But the Ebonyi State government dismissed the report describing it as “false and unfounded.”
in a statement released on Tuesday, Ilang Donatus, chairman of the Ebonyi Executive Council Committee on the Supervision and Completion of State Housing Projects, clarified that no commissioner had been arrested, urging the public to disregard the misinformation.
“No commissioner was arrested, and you can confirm this from the police and other security agencies,” he stated.
He further explained that the committee had only conveyed the governor’s dissatisfaction with the slow progress of the projects, emphasizing the need for swift action.
“We informed them of the state governor’s displeasure over delays in the project and resolved to take drastic actions on the defaulters,” Donatus said. According to him, the governor is committed to ensuring that affected communities receive the necessary housing support as part of his administration’s rehabilitation efforts.
“The governor is desirous to give the people of both communities affected by a fratricidal communal conflict housing reprieves,” he added.
The state government had embarked on a 140-unit housing project in Ishielu Local Government Area to provide shelter for residents of the Izzo and Amaze communities, who were displaced due to the longstanding Ezilo/Ezza Ezilo communal conflict. The initiative is part of a broader effort to restore stability and improve living conditions for those impacted by the crisis.
“We gave all persons involved in the projects time to comply with the contractual terms,” Donatus noted.
“Our mandate is to ensure that the governor’s noble intentions towards the people of both communities are actualized, and we would not toy with such.”
Reaffirming the government’s position, the spokesperson for the Ebonyi State Police Command, Joshua Ukandu, also dismissed the reports of any arrests.
“We did not arrest any commissioner,” Ukandu confirmed.
The state government has urged the public to disregard the false reports and assured that it remains focused on delivering the much-needed housing projects for displaced residents.
Authorities have also warned against the spread of misinformation, stressing the importance of verifying news from credible sources.
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