EBONYI AND COMMUNAL CLASHES

The authorities must do more to stem the violence

Land and boundary disputes are not only common in Ebonyi State but have also claimed hundreds of lives in recent years. Communities that have, at one time or another, been involved in these violent disputes include Abaomege-Ishinkwo, Inyamagu-Ekpomaka, Amasiri-Amangwu Edda, Amasiri-Akpoha-Ibii-Ehugbo, Ishiagu-Akaeze, among others. But the ongoing clashes in Oso Edda and Amasiri communities in Edda/Afikpo North local government area of the state is proving more intractable. Despite the best efforts of Governor Francis Nwifuru, the killings of innocent citizens and wanton destruction of properties have refused to abate. In the latest of the mayhem, a seven-year-old child was among the people brutally beheaded with their severed heads taken away.

Although Nwirifu has pledged the administration’s commitment to ending land wars in the state through the peaceful engagement of community leaders and demarcation of boundaries, the problem persists. On the current crisis, the governor has taken some drastic decisions, including the closure of schools, both private and public. He has also directed that all the development union executives and the village heads, women leaders, youth leaders, peer groups in the communities or any other organisation in the communities involved in the crisis be dissolved immediately. Meanwhile, traditional rulers in the Amasiri clan where the clashes occur have also been deposed.

That these violent eruptions over land have become a serious national security problem is why authorities in the country should be concerned. Apart from the alarming death tolls, the losses to the economy because of these deadly clashes cannot be easily quantified. Thousands of people have been killed; several families are today dislocated with countless people physically and psychologically maimed for life. The future ambitions of many Nigerians, particularly children, have also been cut short or disrupted in many of our communities. Meanwhile, drafting in military troops to theatres of violence arising from land disputes has over the years proved to be no solution. In fact, it has caused more problems in a few theatres.  

 Failure to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of these heinous crimes seems to encourage the propensity for violence as a means of redressing perceived grievances. The problem is compounded in most of the warring communities by millions of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALWs) in the country. The ease of access to these weapons has made individuals and communities more fortified and hence less amenable to entreaties to make peace. Many communities are self-arming to protect themselves, to go on the offensive or for reprisal attacks. The frequency of these clashes demonstrates that we are teetering towards a lawless society, with all the frightening implications for peace and security in our nation.  

We therefore call on authorities in Abuja and the 36 states to arrest this rapid and steady slide into anarchy by addressing all conditions that make violent attacks tools of expressing grievances between and among communities. We also enjoin them to devise effective conflict resolution mechanisms, create an early warning system that would alert of a brewing crisis, equip security agencies with modern intelligence gathering tools and promote policies that encourage peaceful coexistence and social harmony. Community and religious leaders must also rise to help in promoting peaceful co-existence among our people.

While we must find a lasting solution to the issue of land disputes and communal clashes in the country, the immediate challenge is in Ebonyi State. In recent weeks, stakeholders from warring communities continue to harp on the need to implement the agreements contained in a 2003 gazette on boundary delineation between Amasiri and Oso-Edda communities, which they describe as the most sustainable solution to recurring clashes and mutual mistrust. We urge the governor to consider the idea.