Ebonyi govt orders villagers to leave disputed areas

Ebonyi State government yesterday ordered vacuation with immediate effect of all occupants of the disputed land between Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo communities in Ishielu Local Government Area of the state following fresh clashes.
This was the high point of a communiqué as read by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Boniface Chima, after a truce meeting between the two communities held at Government House, Abakaliki, at the instance of the state government.
This is sequel to renewed hostilities in the area for the past few days in which angry mobs from both communities clashed and blocked the busy Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway.
Recall that the land dispute between the two communities which degenerated to communal war led to the massacre of hundreds of people between 2008 and 2011 and has remained unresolved.
The truce meeting which lasted for two days warned that anyone found thereafter intruding at the disputed land would be treated as a criminal and to be handled by security agents, and elders on both sides have agreed not to ask after such person.
According to the communiqué, Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo leaders should review the government white paper on the crisis and submit a detailed opinion position on it and make suggestions for a way forward and pass it to the state government within six weeks.
“A 27-man joint peace committee be immediately constituted to include eleven people each on both sides, one representative from the SSS, Civil Defense,Army and Police with Permanent Secretary Office of the Deputy Governor as Chairman and should submit their report within six weeks,” part of the communiqué read.
The government further warned that any breach of agreement should immediately be reported to the security agents, any member of the joint peace committee or the chairman of the joint peace committee, adding that henceforth on no account should any party take laws into their hands or barricade road again.
The truce meeting which was chaired by the deputy governor and governor-elect, Chief Dave Umahi, witnessed the presence of security chiefs and stakeholders of the warring communities.