• Ebonyi, Benue communities embrace peace after years of carnage, destruction
From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
History was made on November 18, 2023, as Ngbo Community in Ohaukwu Local Government, Ebonyi State and its neighbours of Agila in Ado Local Government, Benue State, kissed goodbye to over 100 years of hostilities. The two communities lived like cat and mouse since 1921 when they took up arms against each other, resulting in loss of lives and properties.
The two neighbours had lived in peace and intermarried before 1921. Their relationship was so deep that one could hardly notice differences between them. While Ngbo people spoke Agila dialect fluently, their Agila neighbours also spoke Ngbo dialect fluently and eloquently. This helped to strengthen their bond and neighbourliness then.
•Nwachukwu with Ngbo, Agila leaders
But things fell apart in 1921 when the communities took up arms and engaged in killings, maiming and destruction over a vast fertile land, laying claims to the property. Efforts were made by both parties to restore normalcy but to no avail.
The carnage and destruction continued unabated to the extent that the communities became tired and were in dire need of who would separate them to enable them heave a sigh of relief and possibly remain friends, neighbours, brothers and sisters.
So, by 1988, leaders of the two communities stepped in to engender peace and reconciliation. This resulted to what was known as Obodo Akonobi, which afforded the people of Agila the opportunity to pass through Ngbo for peace talks, just as Ngbo people visited Agila too.
Former Military Governor of Anambra State, which Ngbo community was under that time, Col. Robert Akonobi, met with his Benue State counterpart, David Jonah Jang, who later became Governor of Plateau State for peace between Ngbo and Agila.
From that point, a buffer zone was created between the two communities for peace and farming; not a boundary. Through this, normalcy returned to the areas.
But some years after, the communities returned to the trenches It metamorphosed to guerrilla warfare leading to the killing of even people who were not from the two communities.
Again, efforts were made to end the melee but they also hit the rock. Attempts made by the leaders of the warring communities for the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to spell out the boundary and demarcate the land, could not yield any meaningful result.
Children, women and youths remained major casualties of the war, just as the economic base of both communities, which is farming, was crumbled. However, it was a historic moment last month, as the two communities jointly took a practical dimensional approach towards ending the age long war.
They decided to mend fences, cleared their link roads and simultaneously visited each other en masse to herald peace. The communities traded together that day. The spouse of the Benue House of Assembly Speaker rode motorcycle to and from Agila to Ngbo, signifying that normalcy has returned to the two communities.
Over 1000 Ngbo people were sighted in Agila on that day and same number from Agila visited Ngbo and were hosted at the ancestral home of Ngbo (Ekwashi playground) in a manner that surprised even the two communities.
The Agila people were also seen buying and selling goods in the Okwo Ngbo Market unmolested. The visits turned carnival, both in Agila and Ngbo as the visitors who were predominantly youths moved round the communities chanting songs of peace and unity.
The Ngbo people who visited Agila were led by the secretary, Ngbo Leaders Council (NLC), Dr. Emmanuel Etu-Odo, while president general of Agila, Mr Otse Otokpa, led his people.
The events attracted government functionaries and other stakeholders from both sides who were in joyous mood. Addressing the communities at Ekwashi Ngbo playground after visiting Agila, Deputy Governor of Ebonyi State, represented by the Commissioner for Border Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Donatus Ilang, thanked the people for accepting to end the war and embrace peace in line with the efforts of the government.
He said government was committed to ensuring that the nascent peace was sustained and would draw up programmes and policies that would make it enduring.
Chairman, Ohaukwu Local Government, Ebonyi State, Ikechukwu Odono; member representing Ebonyi/Ohaukwu Federal Constituency, Eze Nwachukwu; Deputy Speaker, Ebonyi State House of Assembly, Chinedu Onah and Commissioner for Power and Energy, Chief Peter Oge-Ali, expressed joy over the development. He pledged readiness to work with their Agila political counterparts to cement the new ground of peace.
President General, Ngbo Leaders Council, Dr. Okeh Okeh and his Agila counterpart, Otokpa, promised that the new peace has come to stay. The duo thanked God that peace came during their era. They requested government at all levels to among other things construct the inter-state road that linked the two communities which they said would become the shortest route to the North if constructed.
Some youth leaders including Michael Odo, Samuel Okpor and Mr Kelechi Onyeoma from Ngbo as well as Philip Ogazi and John Odey from Agila, harped on the economic need of the achieved peace and vowed to sustain it.
Chairman, Ngbo/Agila Intercommunity Peace and Reconciliatory Committee, Pastor Cyril Obazi, disclosed that discussions for the renewed peace between the two communities were initiated by traditional ruler of Agila, Emmanuel Oche Orinya, Jerry Omogo, Obande Oduma, security officers from Ado and Ohaukwu LGs before the February 25, 2023 general elections:
“After the elections, my contact phone number was given to Agila traditional ruler, Jerry Omogo, Obande Oduma and their security officer. We commenced discussions on peace processes. When I discovered that they were sincere and genuine, I sent their contacts to Dr Okeh who immediately convened Ngbo General Assembly meeting at Obodo Ekwashi to ascertain from the people of Ngboejeogu whether we wanted the peace overtures being made by our Agila brethren. All were in agreement.
“This led to our committee formalisation and other events that followed. However, before the planned visit of Agila people to Ngbo, one man strayed from Ndiagu Okpe, Umuogudu Akpu to Agila, Omogo called me. I directed him to take him to police station at Igumale. Ohaukwu chairman provided the fund to refund the police at Igumale, the expenses incurred in keeping the suspect.
“Steve Ogenyi drove to Ikem Police Station and brought the man safely to Ngbo. Many persons were returned to Agila, one person, they used motorcycle through Nkalaha to Ezzamgbo LG headquarters to take him to Agila.
“One event led to the other, as the preparations for the peace visit to Ngbo to be led by traditional ruler of Agila was in progress, the 10th National Assembly was inaugurated. On June 16, 2023 inauguration of the 10th National Assembly House of Representatives, our beloved brother, Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze moved the first motion on the floor of the House for restoration of total peace between Ngbo and Agila with the caveat, construction of Okwo Ngbo-Ekwashi-Agila-Igumale-Otukpo spur, Umuimama-Egedege Road. He was supported by his colleague from Agila, Phillip Agbese representing Ado/Opokwu/Ogbadibo Federal Constituency.
“This inaugural motion moved by Pastor Eze Nwachukwu Eze was the turning point that brought all the critical stakeholders from Agila extraction to wholly embrace peace.”
Chief Otse Otokpa is Chairman, Agila/Ngbo Intercommunity Peace and Reconciliatory Committee on Agila side Pastor Cyril Obazi Esheya is chairman, Ngbo/Agila Intercommunity Peace and Reconciliatory Committee. Recently, Bishop Vincent Oge and Deacon Ferdinand Agbo were nominated to join the committee to the Otukpo peace meeting on September 16, 2023. Our committee has accepted them as well.”