The Chairman of Afikpo South Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Barr. Eni Uduma, on Friday, regreted the gruesome killing of seven members of the Ebubeagu security operatives by shooters in the state.

Uduma, who was a previous two-time member of the state House of Assembly, EBSHA, and represented Afikpo South-West Constituency, regreted that a member of the outfit was killed and beheaded last week by gunmen in the state.

He made this understood in a declaration titled: “Only the guilty are afraid of Ebubeagu”, provided to DAILY POST on Friday.

Uduma, who is likewise a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in the state reacted to the current movement by Ebonyi legislators in the House of Representatives opposing the development of Ebubeagu in the state.

He explained the motion by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, lawmakers as mischievous.

DAILY POST gathered that Mr Idu Igariwey, representing Afikpo North/South Federal Constituency, sponsored a motion asking for that the Ebubeagu security outfit be dissolved and was supported by 4 other PDP lawmakers from the state.

They are; Livinus Makwe (Ohaozara, Ivo, Onicha), Sylvester Ogbaga (Abakaliki/Izzi), Chukwuma Nwazunku (Ebonyi/Ohaukwu) and Edwin Nwonu (Ezza North/Ishielu).

In the motion, they alleged that the security outfit is being utilized to hunt, eliminate and frighten opposition celebration members in the state.

But Eni debunked the allegations stating that it is only the guilty that hesitate of Ebubeagu.

He said: “I have observed the prejudiced basis of the unwarranted motion by some dormant members of your house of Representatives on declared insecurity in Ebonyi State.

“This infamous quintet have actually never ever sponsored any meaningful expense or took part in any rewarding debate on the floor of the House, just to wake up from their lack of exercise to try setting fire on the security infrastructure of Ebonyi State in a quote to play the script authored in Lagos to screw up the political standing of Engr. Dr. David Umahi.

“It is regrettable that the PDP National Assembly members of Ebonyi State extraction have picked to play politics with the efforts of the state government to curb insecurity bordering on common clashes, farmers/herdsmen clashes, kidnapping and other violent crimes in Ebonyi State, by criticising ‘Ebubeagu’, the state vigilante attire.

“Ebubeagu is a development of an existing law properly gone by the Ebonyi State House of Assembly and its mandate of complementing the Nigeria Police Force and other police in securing properties and lives are well defined in the allowing law.”

Mr Eni said the lawmakers lied by declaring that operatives of Ebubeagu are not expertly trained and wield AK-47 and AK-49 rifles together with other dangerous weapons.

“The reality is that the vigilante group went through diligent training in the use of arms which in all cases are restricted to properly authorized pump-action rifles,” he stated.