Seven supervising commissioners and a local government chairman handling the construction of 140 Housing Units for the Izzo and Amaze communities displaced in Ezilo/Ezza Ezilo communal crisis in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi State have been arrested.
Their arrests were made by the police at the instigation of the state government.
The arrested persons include: Professor Omari Omaka, Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Commissioner for Environment, Victor Chukwu, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ifeanyi Ogbuewu, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Uchenna Igwe, Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, Commissioner for Project Monitoring, Felix Igboke and the Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Mr. Timothy Nwachi.
They were arrested for delaying delivery, breach of contracts agreement, terms and conditions of the job.
The Chairman of the State Executive Council Committee on Izzo and Amaze Housing Project, Dr. Ilang Donates, disclosed this in Abakaliki, the State Capital.
Donates said the government was left with no choice than to arrest them for failure to comply with the contract agreement.
“The Governor is not happy over the pace of the work, which ought to have been completed. The Government has decided to clamp down on the Contractors and Commissioners who were mandated to supervise those projects.
“As you can see, our Governor is a Man with a passionate heart, he likes giving succour, hence the building of those houses for the victims of the communal crisis. He is not happy that the project is delayed and has ordered to arrest of all the commissioners who are supposed to ensure the speedy completion of the housing Units.
“The Commissioners arrested were: Professor Omari Omaka, Commissioner for Tertiary Education, Commissioner for Environment, Victor Chukwu, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Ifeanyi Ogbuewu, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftancy Matters, Uchenna Igwe,Commissioner for Health, Dr Moses Ekuma, Commissioner for Project Monitoring, Felix Igboke and the Chairman of Afikpo Local Government Area, Mr. Timothy Nwachi,” Donates proclaimed.
The Special Assistant to the Governor on Women Mobilisations, Ebonyi Central, who is the member of the Executive Council Committee on Izzo and Amaze Housing Project, Mrs. Maria Okohu said that non completion of those projects by the contractor and the failure of some of the Commissioner to strictly supervise them as directed by the Government is an act of sabotage.
Other Members of the EXCO Committee were the Commissioner for Inter-Party Affairs, Okorie Philip Ogbonnaya, the Commissioner for Special Duties, Valentine Okike-Uzor, and the Special Assistant to the Governor On Internal Security, Ezza South LGA, Okum Godwin.
