Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, the apex socio-political youth group in the South East geopolitical zone has expressed utmost dismay over the mindless killing of 14 youths by operatives of the Imo State security outfit code-named Ebubeagu in Otulu area of Oru East LGA, Imo State.
In a statement issued yesterday in Owerri, the group described the incident as barbaric, villainous and senseless killing of the innocent youths that came for a traditional marriage also in Awo Ommama in Oru East Local Government Area of the State.
The document signed by Hon. Goodluck Ibem and Comrade Okey Nwaoru, President-General and Publicity Secretary respectively disclosed that the groom and 9 persons that came with him for the traditional marriage at Awo Ommamma from Otulu community and 5 other persons from Awo Ommamma community were killed.
Ibem further revealed that another 32 persons who were victims of the Sunday attack by the Ebubeagu operatives sustained various degrees of injuries and are lying in critical conditions in the hospital with their lives hanging in the balance.
The group said, “The spate of unlawful killings by men of illicit Ebubeagu Operatives, a security outfit formed by Governor Hope Uzodinma is on an evil mission to kill all Imo youths in the state who he believes will challenge his re-election as governor come 2023.
“This is no longer democracy in Imo State but a despotic and tyrannic government whose sole aim is to kill the people at will while looting the resources of the state dry. The unlawful killings going on in Imo State is unacceptable, wicked, barbaric, villainous, senseless and we condemn it in its entirety.
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“We will not accept the killing of 14 innocent youths laying low, Governor Hope Uzodinma must resign within 7 days resign from office as governor of Imo State or be Impeached by Imo State House of Assembly else the youths will occupy the roads lawfully in protest to demand for his resignation as Executive Governor of Imo State. What we are seeing in Imo is longer democracy but tyranny taken too far.”
The group insisted that the killing of those 14 innocent youths in Awo Ommamma whose corpses were dumped in the bush by Ebubeagu Operatives will not be swept under the carpet lamenting that with the way and manner Imo youths are being killed on daily basis, Imo youths are facing a threat of extinction before 2023.
Ibem and Nwaoru solicited for the pro bono legal services of notable human rights legal luminaries like Femi Falana, SAN, Chief Mike Ahamba, SAN, Mike Ozekhome, SAN and several others legal in the country to enable prosecution of the dastardly mass murder.
“We call on the Federal Government to move swiftly to ensure that they take care of the medical bills of those 32 persons in the hospital and that they are given the best medical care. We also call on good spiritual individuals touched by the plight of these persons to assist in whatever way they can.
“We call on the international community, The Prime Minister of Great British, the President of United States of America, President Joe Biden and all lovers of democracy all over the world to beam her searchlight on Imo State in Nigeria to avoid a situation where Imo youths will all be unjustly and brutally exterminated before the gubernatorial election of the state in 2023,” COSEYL appealed.
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