By CHARLES IWUOHA

A group of people identified as Ezza Ezekuna Benue Development Association, which comprises all the natives of Ezza clan in Benue State, has called on both state governments for peace, following incessant attacks on the border community.

In an open letter to the Ebonyi state Governor, Francis Nwifuru, the group led by its President General, Dr. Perpetual Nkechi Okafor, Chairman of its Board of Trustees, Chief Chinedu Nweke, and others, accused Effium people in Ohaukwu local government area of Ebonyi State, of masterminding bloodletting and looting of their properties in Ado local government of Benue state.

The people who reiterated their resolve to remain law abiding, regretted that their adversaries take their peace loving virtue for weakness and appealed to the Ebonyi state government to call Effium stakeholders to order to avoid further breakdown of law and order in the area.

Part of the open letter reads: ?As peace-loving people who support and obey every government policies on peace, we humbly appeal to Your Excellency Governor Francis Nwifuru to as a matter of urgency call Effium people and their leadership to order to forestall escalating this ugly situation once again.

?While we appreciate your effort that has significantly stalled the over four year-old bloodletting in Effium of Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi State, Your Excellency Sir, we the aforementioned people, wish to draw your attention to the premeditated callous stoking of further crisis by the Effium people of Ebonyi State in border communities in Benue State.

?It may interest you to know, Your Excellency Sir, that ever since your unprecedented quelling of the war between the Ezza people and Effium, the people of Effium clan in Ohaukwu LGA have been continuously attacking, looting, abducting and killing our people in Ado local government of Benue state.

?Traveling the most recent memory lane, it could be recalled that on the 9th day of August, 2025, a group of Effium people from Akparata village of Effium community in Ohaukwu LGA of Ebonyi state, mindlessly invaded our market, Inikiri Ichari and abducted one Ikechukwu Nwokporo, an Ezza indigenes of Ado LGA of Benue state without any iota of provocation whatsoever. As we write this letter, nothing has been heard about his whereabouts.

?Again on August 12th 2025, a similar calculated attack was launched in another Ezza village called Osukputu, and consequently, destroyed and looted priced properties worth millions of naira. Yet again, on 20th August 2025, the Effium war-mongers also attacked one of our brothers, Innocent in Ogebe, in Ezza community of Benue State

?As recent as Sunday, the 14th day of September, 2025, the blood-thirsty Effium warlords launched yet another offensive at Ogebe Ezza community in Agila Ward, Ado L.G.A. of Benue State. All these attacks were carefully curated simply to truncate the peace initiatives of both the governments of Ebonyi and Benue states.?

Update news