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Scores of indigenes in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi state have staged a peaceful protest against Eglone Group Limited concerning its mining operations in the community. The protest arose because Eglone Group Limited, the technical partner of Gespam Nigeria Limited, allegedly refused to comply with the terms of agreement in the lease signed by Ihietutu community in Ivo LGA, while the company was not only asked to stop its operation but to also vacate the community for peace to reign.
The protesters, who numbered over 5,000 persons, besieged the site of the mining operations to register their discontentment over the way and manner Eglone group had torn the community apart with crisis.
The protesters included youths and mostly old women and men between the ages of 70 and 80s who thronged out en-masse to add their voices on why the company should stop its operation in the community.
Part of the anguish of the protesters included the murder of one of the vigilante members, late Victor Ivoke, a victim of the crisis, who was allegedly killed by “dissident group from the community who the Eglone management uses to destablise the community.”
However, all efforts to reach the Managing Director of Eglone, Mr. Ehinda Nwosu, proved abortive, as his lines were switched off.
However, the owner of the lease and Managing Director of Gespam, Dr. Mayor Onuorah, disclosed that Nwosu was on the run to evade police arrest for his alleged criminal operations in the mining operations and failure to keep to the terms of agreement he had with him.
Some of the protest placards read, “We don’t need Eglone, they should leave our community. Eglone bring back our brother Victor Ivoke whom you murdered. Eglone are not miners. Go! Go!! Go!”, among others.
In an interview, chairman of Ihietutu Development Union, Elder Paulinus Okoro, said since the company began their mining operations in the community, they have not had peace.
Okoro recounted that the Eglone company constituted the base of their problems in the community, by not complying with the terms of agreement the community had with Gespam, owner of the lease, which the company is working with.
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