In search of peace across boundaries’
From Chidi Nnadi, Enugu
The Ette Community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State and Olamaboro Community in Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State have common boundaries.
Over the years, the people of the two communities had lived together as good neighbours until at a time when some Ette natives who are Igalla and Idoma-speaking felt they should belong to Olamaboro instead of Ette.
Since then, the people of the two communities have been living like cats and dogs as they engaged themselves in constant hostilities and attacks.
Oriental News gathered that the Ette Community has its natives who speak the Igbo, Igalla and Idoma languages, but recently those of them who do not speak the Igbo Language under the aegis of pro-Kogi group opted to go over to Olamaboro, believing that it is where they rightly belonged.
The non-speaking natives of Ette were said to have been encouraged by some prominent persons in Olamaboro in high offices, including the police, who were alleged to be hell-bent in dominating the Ette people.
Since then, the Ette Community has not been the same again as the natives have been variously attacked and their property destroyed by suspected pro-Kogi group, who they said usually come out at nights to unleash mayhem on them.
One of the victims of the attacks was the member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Tony Ogidi, who the pro-Kogi group had allegedly stormed his house on August 13 this year to destroy his property, as well as descending on his filling station and supermarket.
The pro-Kogi group was also said to have stopped the contractors handling the MCC-Ette Road which was awarded by the Enugu State government and mounted illegal toll-gate from where they were extorting money from motorists.
As the hostilities continued, some Ette youths sent a strong appeal to the Enugu State Governor, Chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to urgently “investigate the remote and immediate causes of the incessant invasion, arrests and killing of their people by persons suspected to be from Olamaboro in Kogi State.”
They told the governor that this became imperative as the Enugu State Local Government Election scheduled to hold on November 4 was getting near.
Their fear was that the pro-Kogi group might seize the period of the local government election to attack them again.
The youths urged Governor Ugwuanyi to ensure that a joint security team was stationed in their community, alleging that prominent sons of Olamaboro have perfected plans to use the police to intimidate, harass and imprison their people who they see as their opponents.
They alleged that a certain former lecturer from Olamaboro had encouraged the pro-Kogi group to deal with the Ette people while a senior police officer in the Operations Department of the Enugu Police Command headquarters had usually refused to deploy officers to the community to checkmate the pro-Kogi group any time they planned to launch an attack on them because he is from Olamaboro.
“You will recall that Ette community in Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area of Enugu State has been engulfed by crisis following the violent dimension the agitation by a section of Igalla-speaking people of the community, demanding to be merged with Kogi State.
“The community which used to be a beehive of activities, particularly on its market days, where traders from the three major tribes: Igbo, Igalla and Idoma and others from neighboring villages bring their farm produce to sell, is no longer at ease, as most of the Igbo-speaking tribe abandoned their homes for neighboring villages, for fear of being maimed by the rampaging group.
“The rampaging group known as pro-Kogi youth has allegedly unleashed mayhem on innocent citizens, particularly on the Igbo, Igalla and Idoma-speaking community, destroying property worth several million of naira,” the youths said in a statement.
The youths said that they were crying out to avoid a repeat of the incident at Ukpabi Nimbo Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State where Fulani herdsmen invaded the community, leaving it highly devastated in the end.
Indeed, the cry of the Ette youths got the attention of the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, who was said to have been inundated with “reported allegations of kidnapping, murder, arson and other heinous crimes capable of causing total breakdown of law and order in the community.”
Thus on October 11, IGP Idris ordered the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Danmallam Mohammed and his Kogi State counterpart, Ali Janga, to visit Ette to find out the remote and immediate causes of security challenges in the community.
The two commissioners of police who arrived at Ette at 10:35a.m in company of some senior officers in their respective commands were received by a large crowd comprising traditional rulers, men, women, youths, leaders of thought, and clergymen from the two communities of Ette and Olamaboro.
Some of the leaders from the two communities who received the police commissioners are the Chairman of Igbo-Eze North Local Government Area who was represented by Nze Dennis Ezeh; the administrator of Olamaboro LGA who was represented by Joshua Onoja (Secretary Olamaboro LGA); the member representing Igbo-Eze North Constituency, Enugu State House of Assembly, Tony Ogidi; Chief Aaron Akor (a leader of proponents of the pro-Kogi group); Igwe Aloysius Adama; Igwe Fidelis Onoja; Mr Ahmadu Apeh (supporter of proponents of the pro-Kogi.
Others are Hyacinth Agada (youth leader); Rev Fr. John Ezeh; Mrs Victoria Ochai; David Atigwe; and Chief Emmanuel Alachi.
Opening discussion on why they were in the community, the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed informed them that the inspector general of police directed himself and his Kogi State counterpart to come to Ette “to find out the remote and immediate causes of the security breaches recently noticed in the community and to gather opinions from all stakeholders on how best to put a stop to such incidences and restore peace that will bring meaningful development to Ette community.”
Mohammed told the people that their mission was not to apportion blame to anybody, but to give every stakeholder the opportunity to express his or her views on how best to restore peace for the progress of Ette Community and its people.
He said that the inspector general of police wanted the Ette people to experience peace by eschewing rancour and bitterness, but to pursue peace, justice, equity and fair play.
Similarly, the Kogi State Commissioner of Police, Ali Janga commended the people of Ette Community for coming out en masse to receive the delegates, describing it as a sign that they are yearning for peace to return to their community.
He charged them not to allow some misguided individuals to deceive them into fomenting trouble against themselves, saying that they have been living together peacefully over the years.
He urged them to open their minds to wise council and shun acts capable of leading to shedding of innocent blood and wanton destruction of valuable property.
The leaders of the two communities who spoke enjoined the inspector general of police to ensure that peace was restored to the community.
The member representing Igbo-Eze North in the Enugu State House of Assembly, Ogidi commended the IGP for the peace initiative.
Ogidi who confirmed that this house was attacked and his property destroyed in the crisis pointed out that the Enugu State government has provided most of the amenities in the community.
He noted that the crisis in Ette was not caused by Kogi people, but by a few individuals in Ette for their selfish end.
He said that the Ette community has always had three tribes of Igbo, Igalla and Idoma living together as brothers, saying that modern democracy, however, allows anybody to choose where to live.
Also Joshua Onoja who represented the administrator of Olamaboro council urged the Ette community to embrace peace just as he called on the National Boundary Commission to release its report of 2010 to help resolve the Ette crisis.
Also speaking, a retired lecturer of Benue State University, Chief Aaron Ako traced the history of Ette, insisting that the community is not Igbo but Igalla.
He also called on the National Boundary Commission to publish report of 2010 where the facts are so as to end the Ette crisis.