The Governor of Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru has signed a law that approved creation of five new autonomous communities in Effium, Ohaukwu Local Government Area of the state as a measure to broker lasting peace.
The people of Effium and Ezza-Effium in the area have been at war since January 2021 with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
The state House of Assembly recently passed a law and approved five autonomous communities in the community; three for the Effium indigenes in the community and two for their Ezza counterparts in the area.
Signing the law in his office at centenary city, new government house Abakaliki on Thursday, the governor said the creation of the communities was to ensure lasting peace in the troubled community.
He condemned the attitude of one of the warring clans that opposed the autonomous communities and warned that his administration will not allow any group or persons to sabotage the efforts of the government.
He alleged that some persons in the area have been profiting from the crisis which according to him was why they don’t want the crisis to end.
“I am particularly excited for a lot of reasons. Number one is that we have been able to champion course of peace with dignity and respect for humanity. The case of Effium and formerly known and called as Ezza-Effium before, is a very unfortunate incident.
“It is an incident caused by two individuals, people that were struggling for control of market and revenues in the motor park at Effium market and nobody knew that the case will turn out to be a very critical communal crisis the way it is now and it has consumed a lot of lives which no one ever wished.
“It calls for concern when people paid supreme price for peace in that particular community and at the dying minutes, people started raising issues that are unfounded.
“They are some people that are benefiting from this crisis and you just wake up one day and say you want to stop their source of income.There have nothing much doing other than this crisis and they must show the people that are giving them the resources the reason this crisis must continue.
“I want to send them a message and the message is that we are ready for any eventuality. If anyone thinks he is God, let the person dare us as government. We will use every available means to bring peace to that land,” Nwifuru warned.