History was made on Friday 8th September 2017, when the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, held a stakeholders peace meeting of traditional, religious, political and youth leaders of the conflicting communities of Azuofia Edda, Okpuitumo, Ofomana in Osofon of Abakaliki Local Government Area, Ebonyi State and their counterparts in Ogorunde and Ofumuna communities in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The meeting was in line with the directive of the Chief of Army Staff Lt. General Tukur Yusufu Buratai to the GOC to broker peace.
Securityking News Online recalls that Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State had appealed to the Chief of Army Staff, General Buratai profusely at the headquarters of 82 division during the commissioning of the 1million capacity water works constructed by the GOC, Major General Adamu Abubakar which resolved the water challenges in the barracks, to intervene in the conflict to save lives and property being lost on a daily basis.
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A statement by Col Sagir Musa, Deputy Director, Army Public relations, said, “The meeting was as a result of the latest clash between Osofon Community and Ogorunde in Ebonyi and Cross River States on 1st September 2017 where 7 persons were allegedly killed and 2 others were wounded.
Consequently, the need to proactively respond to highly likely reprisal from the bereaved community and to stop the cycle of violence made the GOC to call for the meeting to resolve the crisis.
The meeting had the Commissioners of Police from Ebonyi and Cross River States Mr. Titus Lamorde and Hafiz Mohammed respectiveky, representatives of the Department of State Security Services, the Special Advicers to the Ebonyi and Cross River States on Security Mr. keneth Ugbala and Jude Ngaji.
Others were the Secretary to Ebonyi State Government Professor Bernard Odoh and the representative of Cross River State Government Mr. Emmanuel Bassey.
Other top government functionaries and community leaders that attended the stakeholders meeting include the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Border and Peace, Mr. Sylvania Nwankwegu, former Senator Ngiji Ngele, Chief Jeremia Oketah, Honourable Mathew Uguru, Honourable Earnest Henriek, the traditional rulers from both communities Eze Godwin Nwankwegu and Eze Pious Nwamgele, as well as the Chairman Abakaliki Local Government Area Ebonyi State.
During the historic stakeholders peace meeting, the warring communities voluntarily agreed to forgive each other crisis, eschew further acts of violence and genuine commitment to the resolutions at the meeting.
END.
