By Ruth Oginyi
The Member Representing EzzaSouth/ Ikwo Federal Constituency at the House of Representatives, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, has appealed to the Federal Government to urgently wade into the incessant communal clashes between communities in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi and their neighbours in Cross River States
This was contained in motion presented before the floor of the Green Chamber under matter of urgent public importance by the lawmaker on Tuesday during plenary.
Ogah, an APC Rep member stated that communities in Ebonyi State and the neighbouring Cross Rivers state who used to live peacefully until boundary issues and quest for resource control brought in violent clashes between the neighbours and many lives and property have been lost to the crisis.
According to him, majority of the people in the affected area have been displaced and their farm lands and livestock which are their major sources of livelihood destroyed.
In the motion, he stated, ” Ikwo local Government Area is one of the most populated local government Areas in Ebonyi State with over 800, 000 people whose livelihood are dependent on their crops, livestock, local good, shops and other domestic assets. For many years now, Ikwo has been bedeviled by series of inter communal clashes with neighbouring states and with other communities within Ebonyi State over land disputes and other natural resources deposits.”
He explained that the victims of the clashes are suffering from untold hardships as most of them have been rendered homeless and left at the mercies of all violent attacks and diseases occasioned by lack of food, access to portable water and other basic essentials required to maintain human dignity.
He regretted that all efforts made by both the Government of Ebonyi and Cross Rivers States to restore peace between the two warring communities yielded no positive response as none of the communities agreed to stick to the agreement reached.
The law maker emphasized that if urgent steps are not taken to checkmate the menace, more lives would be lost and children displaced out of school would resort to crimes and criminality thereby becoming more problem to the society.
The motion read: “Urging the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the National Emergency Management Agency, NEMA to provide relief materials to the affected victims.
“Urging the Federal Government to provide monetary grants and Social programme enrolment for the victims to empower and prevent them from indulging in vices that could endanger them and the society.”
The lawmaker urged the National Boundary Commission to commence concrete action in providing lasting solutions to the issues of land dispute between Ebonyi and Cross Rivers States
“I’m urging the Inspector General of Police to provide adequate security in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State to ensure relative peace and protection of lives and property until normalcy returns to the troubled area”, he stated.
Speaker Gbajabiamila who threw the motion to voice vote, mandated the House Committee on Special Duties and Emergency and Disaster preparedness to ensure implementation.
