From Wilson Okereke, Afikpo
Igbeagu Izzi in Ebonyi State and their Ukelle neighbours of Yala Local Government, Cross River State had an age-long conflict over land. Skirmishes in the area had claimed several lives with massive destruction of property over the years before it calmed in 2019.
However, some cheering news came from the area last week. Daily Sun learnt that more than 10 matrimonies have been consummated people from the two communities in the past five years that peace was brokered.
This was disclosed on August 8, during a meeting involving the two parties, organised by the Parish Priest of St. Bernard Catholic Church, Ojiegbe, Izzi LG, Ebonyi State, Rev. Fr. Kingsley Chinonso Ogbu and his counterpart of St. Peter, Ntrigom, Yala, Cross River State, Rev. Fr. Francis Bebia Abang.
Fr. Ogbu said the essence of the gathering was to give report of the friendly football match arranged for the youths of the areas. He commended Fr. Abang for initiating the idea and thanked the people for the maturity displayed during the exercise: “After Fr. Abang had disclosed the idea to me, I decided to apply it during my parish’s youth’s week and through the instrumentality of the parish seminarian, Brother Emmanuel, everything was perfectly executed.”
He said though, the match ended 2:1 in favour of the Intrigom youths and against St. Bernard in collaboration with St. Justin, Okumenyi Izzi, but the euphoria that accompanied the event was extraordinary. The priest applauded the people for the brotherly encounter.
He said a lot of collaborations including drinking together and strolling into each other’s territory had returned between the parties after the football match. The cleric hinted that general church services, youth celebrations and other similar activities would be incorporated in the peace-making strategies.
Fr. Ogbu also said the church’s Justice Peace Development Initiative, community leaders and other stakeholders would be involved to deepen the collaboration even as he attributed the success of the event to natural intervention.
On his part, Fr. Abang, disclosed that the latest married man and woman from the two areas had given birth few days to the meeting. He charged other youths to toe the same path.
According to him, he had seen the handwriting of God concerning where the two communities existed cordially, that was why he deemed it fit to start the peace talk from the church where trust could easily be built: “The pronouncement of having the football match was not greeted with excitement by my people. But I told them that we would go for the exercise whether they like it or not.
“Surprisingly, while the exercise was on going, I saw some of the youths who were initially apprehensive exchanging phone numbers with their female counterparts.”
He disclosed that most of the people yearning for the continuation of the war live in different towns and cities with their families without considering what would become of those dwelling at home. The priest urged the youths to avoid being lured into another round of conflict.
Fr. Abang also listed a return match, general youth week, invitation to cultural festivals, reciprocal meeting at Ntrigom and establishment of common schools and health facilities as part of the measures to deepen the brotherliness.
Town union president of Igbeagu community, Chief Clement Eze, described the meeting as a welcome development and promised that his people would not relent in doing things capable of promoting the peaceful co-existence: “For the fact that we have begun to do business transactions in the same market, worship and school together, the problem has been solved, thus my appeal is that the displaced persons should be allowed to go back to the buffer zones.”
He added that the two communities had recorded more than 10 intermarriages since 2019 that the crisis stopped. He called for more of such relationships to strengthen the peace movements:
“Shortly after the problem was resolved in 2019, I have personally attended six intermarriages across Iziboro in Cross River and Ndubia, Ndiakparata Nwandugo, Achacha, Ndiokpoto, Nkaleke and other places in Ebonyi.”
Mr. Ebi Augustine Ajofe, an indigene of Ntrigom of Yala, Cross River State, said the problem was remotely caused by contention over land ownership in 1985 and since then, it had been resurfacing intermittently until 2019 when it was experienced for the last time.
He noted that since the communities had seen the need to live as brothers, they should not allow themselves to be negatively influenced against the established peace. He urged the youths to concretize the agreement with more inter-marriages.
Elder Michael Edeh from Onu Nwakpu village in Ebonyi State, said the conflict was noticed on April 4, 2005, before that of 2019. He appealed for the return of the displaced persons to their places.