Lawmaker sues for peace from Ebonyi warring communities
Charles Onyekwere, Abakaliki
The House of Representatives member representing Ohaozara/Onicha/Ivo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi state, Rep. Linus Abaa Okorie, has called on the people of Alike Ikwo in Ikwo Local Government Area and their counterparts in Enyibichiri in Abakaliki Local Government of the state to immediately embrace peace and stop further killings, violence and all forms of hostilities.
The two Ebonyi communities were at the weekend embroiled in a fratricidal communal crisis over a disputed parcel of land which led to the killing of no fewer than 12 persons.
The incident had caused panic and traffic confusion along the Alex Ekwueme Federal University-Ikwo Road, where people returning from the Ebonyi State University (EBSU) matriculation were allegedly ambushed and massacred.
Okorie in a statement in Abakaliki on Tuesday, said the killing of one another over a parcel of land is unfortunate and should be condemned, and discouraged by all Ebonyi people, irrespective of place of origin.
He maintained that the people of the state are peace-loving and don’t engage in senseless killing of each other.
The lawmaker however, expressed dismay that some unscrupulous individuals were bent on causing confusion and bad blood amongst otherwise peaceful communities in the state just to dent the peace efforts of the state government.
Accordingly, he called on the stakeholders and the traditional institutions in Ikwo and Abakaliki Local Government Areas as well as some other flashpoints in the state to immediately sit together and find amicable resolutions to whatever misunderstanding might be afoot in their areas.
The lawmaker noted that the incoming second tenure of Governor David Umahi would witness holistic development and empowerment across communities in the state, which he said would not be possible without peace.
He said the state needed peace and stability now more than any other time in its history, in order to take advantage of the developmental initiatives and commitment of the state governor.
