History was made on Friday as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, reconciled some warring communities of Ebonyi and Cross Rivers states.
The communities are Azuofia Edda, Okpuitumo, Ofomana in Osopong of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State and Ogorude and Ofumuna communities in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
According to a statement issued by Colonel Sagir Musa, Deputy Director Public Relations, the meeting was as a result of the latest clash between Osopong community and Ogorude in Ebonyi and Cross River States on September 1, 2017.
Seven people were allegedly killed and two others were wounded during the clash.
The peace initiative which was at the instance of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, was to proactively respond to “highly likely reprisal from the bereaved community and to stop the cycle of violence.”
During the stakeholders peace meeting, the warring communities voluntarily agreed to forgive each other.
They promised to eschew further acts of violence and made genuine commitment to the resolutions at the meeting.
The meeting had in presence, the Commissioners of Police from Ebonyi and Cross River states, Mr. Titus Lamorde and Hafiz Mohammed respectively; representatives of the Department of State Security Services, the Special Advisers to Ebonyi and Cross River States on Security, Mr. Keneth Ugbala and Jude Ngaji.
Others were the Secretary to Ebonyi State Government, Professor Bernard Odoh, and the representative of Cross River State Government, Mr. Emmanuel Bassey.
Other top government functionaries and community leaders that attended the stakeholders meeting include the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Border and Peace, Mr. Sylvania Nwankwegu; former Senator Ngiji Ngele; Chief Jeremia Oketah; Hon. Mathew Uguru; Hon. Earnest Henriek; traditional rulers from both communities, Eze Godwin Nwankwegu and Eze Pious Nwamgele, as well as the chairman, Abakaliki Local Government Area Ebonyi State.
