The member representing EzzaSouth/ Ikwo Federal Constituency of Ebonyi State in the Federal House of Representatives, Comrade Chinedu Ogah, has cried out to the Federal Government to urgently wade into the communal crises that has bedeviled the Ikwo area of the state.

Ogah, who is the chairman House committee on Reformatory Centres, made the call while presenting a motion before the floor of the House under matter of urgent public importance, stated that communities in Ebonyi state and the neighbouring Cross Rivers state used to live peacefully until boundary issues and quest for resource control which resulted in violent clashes.

According to the lawmaker, “Ikwo Local Government Area is one of the most populated Local Government Areas in Ebonyi State with over 800,000 people whose livelihood are dependent on their crops, livestock, local goods, shops and other domestic assets.

“For many years now, Ikwo has been bedeviled by series of inter communal clashes with neighbouring states and with other communities within Ebonyi State over land disputes and other natural resource deposits.”

The lawmaker, who spoke in an emotion-laden voice, reiterated that majority of the people in the affected terrain have been displaced and their farm lands and livestock, which are their major sources of likelihood, destroyed.

He explained that the victims of the clashes are suffering from untold hardships as most of them have been rendered homeless and left at the mercies of all violent attacks and diseases occasioned by lack of food, access to portable water and other basic essentials required to maintain human dignity.

He regretted that all efforts made by both the government of Ebonyi and Cross Rivers states to broker peace between the two warring communities have met a brick wall as none of the communities agreed to adhere to the contents of the agreement reached, noting that if urgent steps are not taken to checkmate the menace, more lives would be lost and children displaced out of school would resort to crimes and criminality.

Urging the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the affected victims.

He pleaded with the Federal Government to provide monetary grants and social programme enrolment for the victims to empower and prevent them from indulging in vices that could endanger them and the society.

He further appealed to the National Boundary Commission (NBC) to commence concrete action in providing lasting solutions to the issues of land dispute between Ebonyi and Cross Rivers states

Continuing, he urged the Inspector General of Police to provide adequate security in Ikwo Local Government Area to ensure relative peace and protection of lives and property until normalcy returns to the troubled area.

Speaker Gbajabiamila while putting the motion to voice vote, mandated the House Committee on Special Duties and Emergency and Disaster preparedness to ensure implementation

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