Effium Crisis: Osinbajo Visits Ebonyi, Urges Warring Parties To Embrace Peace
By Joyce Aroh
Vice President of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo has called on the warring parties in the raging communal crisis in Effium Community in Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State to sheath their swords and give peace a chance.
Osinbajo who made the call when he visited Effium community on Sunday, said it was imperative they embraced peace to pave way for assistance from government and for the development of the area.
The Vice President said leaders should endeavor at all times to ensure that those they are leading didn’t die needless deaths.
He said the president Buhari-led government was concerned about the killings and destruction of people’s source of livelihood in the crisis, and conveyed Mr President’s condolences to the victims.
“Hundreds of people lost their lives, business and means of livelihood destroyed, Mr. President was particularly concerned about this, for the families of those who have lost their lives, you should please accept the condolences of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I want to say first to the leadership that the responsibility of leadership is to ensure that the people we lead do not die needless deaths, we must do something about peace in our Communities”
Governor David Nweze Umahi while reporting that the State Government had made a concerted effort to nip the crisis in the bud, warned political actors against making inflammatory utterances about the hostilities.
The people of Ufiom and Ezza-Effium have been enmeshed in communal clashes that have led to the killings of over 500 persons since the crisis started January 22, 2021.
Mr Osinbajo also visited the people of Egedegede in Ishielu Local Government Area of the State recently attacked by herdsmen, where he condoled the families who lost their lives in the attack.
While condemning the senseless killings by the herdsmen, he assured that the Federal Government would stop at nothing to ensure that the hoodlums were fished out and made to face the full weight of the law.
“Those who have been mercilessly massacred are human beings like you and me who have hopes and aspirations but they are today dead because of the cowardly act of the herders who have lived with them for years, all of us condemn it and we say that this must not be allowed to happen again, let me assure you that we will seek justice on behalf of those who have been killed”
He assured that the Government would deploy more security personnel to the area to forestall the reoccurrence of such an attack.
The Governor of Ebonyi State, David Nweze Umahi in his remarks appealled to the Federal Government to take drastic measures to checkmate the excesses of the herders.
Umahi further called on the Federal Government to approve State Police to enable the States combat security challenges facing them.
Governor Umahi also announced the activation of local vigilantes to provide internal security in all parts of the State, and warned that Government might not be able to hold back the youth if such killings by the herders occurred again within the shores of the South East region.
He appealed to the Federal Government to make funds available for the resettlement of those whose households and means of livelihood were affected by the attack.
