25 years after, Osobong, Izzi/Ikwo communities reunite, declare ceasefire

After 25 years of hostilities the Osobong community in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River, and the Izzi/Ikwo community of Ebonyi State on Thursday held a peace summit and reunion meeting, at St. Anthony’s Primary School, Ogurude, in Obubra Cross River State, where they declared a ceasefire and permanent peace over the over 25 years of war and killings in the communities, occasioned by a land dispute.

The peace summit and reunion meeting followed a series of consultations and closed-door meetings among stakeholders, youths, women and royal fathers and government functionaries in the former rival communities.

Addressing journalists briefly at Ogurude, the Obubra Local Government Area chairman, Dr Bassey Tom, explained the development to members of the press.

“The whole process here can be summarized as a peace accord between the Osobong communities in Obubra and the Izzi communities of Ebonyi state. We have come here to seal a peace agreement that has for a long time been in existence, but today is the grand finale.

“We have come together to support the peaceful coexistence of the two communities from Cross River and the Ebonyi States. The crisis has existed for a long time; for about 20 to 25 years and now has come.

“Scores of people have died, and properties lost, we lost young and energetic people, some still have bullet wounds on their bodies: I am by nature a peaceful man and I have tried to ensure peace between Osobong and Izzi communities in Cross River and Ebonyi states.

The mobile police post in Ogurude that was awarded by the government is today, an abandoned project that did not work, I have written many letters reminding the government, if that project should work, it will help to mitigate this process of peace,” he explained.

Also speaking, the chairman of Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Godwin Nwangele, said: “From today henceforth, peace has returned between Abakaliki and Obubra local government areas of Cross River and Ebonyi states. From today, all roads leading from Obubra to Abakaliki have been declared open. All business owners from Obubra residing in Abakaliki should go on with their businesses.

“No fear and intimidation anymore. I am excited because really, there is peace and my brothers in Osobong have welcomed the peace too. As I am going back, I am going to tell my people that there is peace,” he said.

Some of the chiefs who spoke said the process should include family by family meetings, where people would meet at their family levels and advise one another on how to abide by the terms of the peace agreement. They declared that peace had permanently returned in the area.

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