Ebonyi warring communities, Friday, signed a letter of peace undertaking assuring the state government a free of security attack as the peace committee members embark on survey of the disputed land in their various hamlets.

The communities include Ekpaomagu and Inyimagu in Ikwo Council Area signed the undertaking letter at Ikwo South East Development Centre when the peace committee visited the people.

Though, the representatives of the two communities were surprised at the report coming from the state Chairman, Christians Association of Nigeria, Rev. Fr. Dr. Abraham Nwali, ably represented by Rev. Fr. Dr. Christopher Okoro, that there is an alleged buffer zone in the communities, the people have signed a letter of peace undertaking assuring the state government and the peace committee members of a conducive environment, saying that such zone never existed in their various quarters.

News Express reports that Fr. Nwali had earlier informed the peace committee members that the State Governor, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, said that there would be no survey of the disputed land in the communities unless the people clear all the alleged buffer zones in their various hamlets.

Therefore, the committee has taken the signed undertaking letter by the communities’ leaders, promising them the commencement of work on the conflicting land any moment it is approved starting from this Saturday.

In a related development, The ripple between Azuoffia Enyigbuchiri in Ikwo council and Azuoffia Enyigba in Abakaliki council area over a disputed land is gradually getting to an end as the stakeholders nominated from the two sister communities by the people have confirmed that the stream between them called ‘Ngele-echi’ (central stream) remains their original boundary.

The stakeholders confirmed the stream as their natural boundary existing before the two communities began to have fracas over the disputed land when the leadership of the Christians Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ebonyi State chapter, went to build up peace for the two villages by creating a canal that would serve as their permanent boundary.

Speaking, the Chairman, Christians Association of Nigeria, also doubled as the Senior Special Assistant to Ebonyi State Governor on Religion and welfare matters, Rev. Fr. Dr. Abraham Nwali, told newsmen that the delegates of elders from the two warring villages have confirmed that the stream between them popularly known as ‘Ngele Echi’ in Enyigbuchiri Ikwo dialect and ‘Ngele akwa yere onweya’ in Enyigba Abakaliki dialect has been their natural boundary beginning from the time of their forefathers.

Fr. Nwali explained that the peace movement by the association and the elders, ten people from each of the communities as directed by Governor Umahi including the security agencies and the newsmen has elapsed for three days before the truth about the actual boundary was made known by the elders.

The Catholic priest termed the three days journey to the warring communities as a ‘trinitarian peaceful movement to Azuoffia Enyigba and Azuoffia Enyigbuchiri communities’ in the state, thanking God for having made the people to open up to facilitate the settlement of the dispute by showing CAN, the original boundary.

He pledged CAN’s commitment with the state government to return permanent peace to the warring zone, having confirmed the original boundary.

He assured the people that the portion of the land where the boundary is not clear and still having an element of conflict would be shared equal for the two communities after a proper survey exercise.

He also said that the new boundary of the two communities would be placed a carnal with a well drilled stream, maintaining that his association in collaboration with the state government would continue playing the role of Jesus Christ to ensure the people enjoy peace among themselves after the demarcation of the disputed boundary.

Hear him: “For couple of years many lives and property have lost here.

“His Excellency, the Governor of Ebonyi State, Engr. David Nweze Umahi, has set a committee to return permanent peace to the two warring communities.

“Graciously, through the recommendation of CAN we have reached to this extent.

“One, we brought to the communities a caterpillar and an excavator for the drilling of the stream that would stand as the boundary between Azuoffia Enyigba and Azuoffia Enyigbuchiri.

“Yesterday, we brought both the independent surveyors chosen by the communities and the State Surveyor General to map out the disputed portion of the land.

“We have scattered Azuoffia trying to find the true boundary between the two communities but the people in question have not been ready to tell us the truth.

“I know I requested from the elders from both communities that if they allow me to swear with my priesthood without telling me the actual boundary, they should be ready to leave the disputed land for the State Government.

“It was then that those elders of the two communities said that it is that stream has been their boundary, and they accepted we should let the stream be their natural boundary.

“Now, we have let the stream remain their natural boundary, when we finish building carnal at that side, we will come back to the disputed boundary and divide the area into two equal for the communities.

“Before that, we will seek the consent of our governor, we must use carnal and stream to divide the two villages to ensure they come back to live as they were living before and enjoy a lasting peace.”

In the same vein, the traditional ruler of Enyigba autonomous community, HRH Eze Michael Mbam Nwobashi hinted that the two communities have been land crisis since 1964, lingering till date causing loss of lives and property.

He however, extolled the step taken by Governor Umahi’s led administration to put the crisis into rest, advising his subjects to remain calm as they accept the central between the zones as the natural boundary.

His counterpart, Barr. Emeka Nwode, representing Azuoffia Enyigbuchiri Ikwo, also accepted that the step by the state government would put the crisis to an end, urging their people to sheathe their swords to ensure peaceful co-existence among themselves gains weight of reality in the area.

Meanwhile, the CAN leadership of the state has reliably informed newsmen that workers and security men have been deployed to the area in dispute to create a permanent boundary for the two sister villages.

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