Four killed in Ebonyi/Benue land dispute

 Obinna Odogwu, Abakaliki

The age-long land dispute between Ngbo community, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and Agila in Ado council area of Benue State has taken more dangerous dimension following the killing of four persons in Ngbo community, Ohaukwu LGA by persons suspected to be warlords.

It was not clear if the killers were persons reportedly working against the peace initiatives of the state government within Ohaukwu council area or persons from their neighboring Agila in Benue State which it has been fighting with.

This came barely one week after the two state governments jointly set up three peace committees with a view to ending the boundary dispute which has claimed so many lives and property worth several millions of naira.

The Deputy Governor of Benue State, Benson Abounu, and his
Ebonyi State counterpart, Dr. Kelechi Igwe, had, during a meeting held last week in Government House, Abakaliki, set up and inaugurated three committees to accelerate peace process in the area.

The three committees are Cyril Obazi/Otse Otakpa Intercommunity Peace Committee, Ohaukwu/Ado Inter-Local Governments Peace Committee, and a Technical Committee with members drawn from National Boundary Commission, Office of Surveyor General of the Federation and Surveyors General of Ebonyi and Benue States.

The four victims were said to be members of the peace committees who were indigenes of Ngbo, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. About two other persons from the same area were said to have been injured.

According to sources, the victims were ambushed and killed by suspected warlords on their way to a peace meeting in Benue State.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ebonyi State, Loveth Odah, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), confirmed that there was a killing of some persons in the area but could not give further details as according to her, the Divisional Police Officer in Ohaukwu LGA has not briefed her on the development.

Addressing stakeholders at the Exco Chambers Government House, Abakaliki, the state governor, Chief David Umahi, expressed sadness over the killings. He, however, accused stakeholders in the area of aiding the crisis.

Umahi said: “I am not a fool. These things are done by you people. There is no other person that did it. It is like you give somebody salt, you give him water. How can you say that these people killed were ambushed?

“I have asked them to audit all your resources that are from Ohaukwu Local
Government”, he said.

The governor, therefore, ordered the police and officials of Directorate of State Services (DSS) to arrest stakeholders from the area for interrogation over the crisis. He also ordered that those arrested would be going to the police station and DSS every day even after their bail.

Earlier, the Chairman of the council area, Mr Clement Odah, lamented that every effort being made to bring long-lasting peace in the area has not worked as expected.

“Each time we meet and agree that peace should reign, the Agila people will always breach that peace. This one is one of those cases of the breaches and the effect is that it has left in our place with a large number of IDPs”, he lamented. ENDS