Community members in Benue State have called on all and sundry to get involved in the process of building and sustaining peace in the state for the development and progress of all.
They made the call at a town hall meeting organized by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, HD, in Makurdi.
The town hall is part of the on-going dialogue process facilitated by the organization to assist in mediating between conflicting parties to prevent or end armed conflicts among communities in the state.
Communities represented at the meeting included the Tiv, Idoma, Igede, Agatu, Etulo, Jukun, Fulani, Igbo, Yoruba and Hausa.
Also present at the meeting were representatatives of traditional rulers, religious leaders, People With Disabilities, PWDs, Civil Societies, Women and Youth groups, security agencies, Human Rights Commission and state government.
Speaking at the meeting, various community representatives agreed that peace was everybody’s business, hence the need for everyone to work hard in order to achieve it.
Speaking on behalf of Agatu community,
Mrs. Winifred Elaigwu who noted that peace was a process, said the dialogue has helped in clearing some misconceptions and misinterpretations that the communities haboured against one another in the past, thereby instilling some level of understanding, tolerance and desire for unity and peace.
While she stressed that all hands must be on deck to achieve and sustain peace in Benue, Mrs. Elaigwu said the state’s Open grazing law should be adhered to for long lasting peace among farmers and herders just as she urged participants to think and work towards a Benue without fear of kidnapping, rape, robbery among other crimes.
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On behalf of the Etulo community, Mr. Ephraim Omashiga pledged that his people would not do anything that could jeopardize peace in the state because they were peace loving.
Also speaking for the Igede community,
Mr. Ignatius Ebbah identified land encroachment, theft of farm produce as well as political marginalization as some of the issues causing conflicts between his community in Zone C and the Tiv communities in Zone B and urged the organization and authorities in the state to assist in addressing them.
He also called on government to wade in with the view of clearly demarcating their boundaries for peaceful coexistence among them.
Also speaking, Prof. Armstrong Adejo, said that marginalisation of the minority tribes in the state was not in tandem with the peace process and must be addressed to pave way for the needed peace and development of the state
The State Chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association, MACBAN, Ubbi Haruna, said that the Fulani herdsmen in the state were law abiding and peace loving and they were working together with the state government to tackle any breach of peace from the members of the association and other miscreants in the state.
Haruna who said his people were ready to abide by the state laws urged government to check the activities of its implementation officers to curtail the arbitrary arrest of their members by the Livestock Guards and indiscriminate charges.
The Commissioner of Police in the state Mukaddas Garba represented by Daniel Ezeala, DPO, E Division, said the police was poised to check all forms of criminalities in the state and to ensure that citizens rights were protected and those doing legitimate businesses in the state do so peacefully.
Dr. Ahmed Yassin from HD thanked all stakeholders for their efforts and input into the peace process promising that the steering committee would work with those concerned to chart a way forward for a peaceful Christmas in the state.
