Date Published: 07/21/09
EZZA-EZILLO Crisis: Ebonyi state government’s approach to unity
By Ben-Bright Mkpuma, Abuja, Nigeria
Let me get started by recalling a quote from celebrated Catholic Nun,
Mother Teresa of Calcutta “If we have no peace, it is because we have
forgotten that we all belong to each other”. This peace which we all
yearn for has eluded my state. Some of you may have reported the ongoing
crisis in Ezillo in Ishielu LGA, where two communities who have co-existed
for decades have been killing themselves since April, 2008 till date.
Apart from the fact that Ebonyi State has not witnessed any meaningful
development since the emergence of democracy, this unseeingly ending
crisis is a good reason for further under-development of the state by her
leadership.
It may interest you to know that Ebonyi State was created, thanks to the
leadership of Late Gen. Sani Abacha in 1996, to address an age -long
criminal neglect of Nigerians citizens in that part of the country.
Twelve years later, democracy in the state is practiced more in the
breach, infrastructural facilities are either dilapidated or non-existent,
unemployment is on the increase. Only recently 5,000 Ebonyians from the
State Civil Service were sent to the labour market by way of retrenchment,
even as there are no provisions to absorb new grandaunds. The government
in our state as presently constituted is not representative with
deliberate exclusion of a major ethnic/tribal group.
It is against this background that frustrations have built up to such a
crescendo whereby helpless citizens rather than coming together to find a
way of addressing their continued neglect, have transferred anger on
themselves. How can one justify the ongoing unprecedented wanton
destruction of lives and properties, abductions just by a mere
disagreement between two individuals for ownership of a spot in their
daily market to mount a call centre?
These are People who have lived together, intermarried, worshiped
together. As if scales fell out of their eyes, these same people suddenly
realized that some are “aborigines” and others are “settlers”.
This is the unfortunate basis for the ongoing fratricidal killings in
Ezillo, Ishielu LGA of Ebonyi State .
You all know that human history is all about migrations. The Ezillo people
migrated ages ago to their present abode. But inter-ethnic rivalries and
wars accompanied such early migrations, Ezillo people were not different.
The history which has remained undisputed is that Ezillo and their more
populous neighbor – the Ngbos were at war, to the extent of Ezillo being
overran and extinct. This prompted elders of Ezillo to cry out to their
Southern- most powerful neighbors – the Ezza specifically umuezekoha and
umuezeoka communities for help. Like the Gurkas in Falkland for the
British, the Ezza in their love for peace,fairness and justice heeded
their request and sent their finest armies. Of course, this changed the
course of the war as the Ngbos were pushed back to their present borders
and peace was restored in Ezillo. The Ezillo elders in appreciation,
donated part of the disputed land to their Ezza-liberators to inhabit and
therefore form a protective shield for Ezillo till date.
Gentlemen, this is how these two Communities came together to coexist
since early nineteenth century. The grand and great grand children of this
friend-of- Ezillo- in need are now being haunted and killed as unwanted
occupiers by some misguided youth of Ezillo, actively supported by their
well placed collaborators both within and outside.
There is no doubt the fact that there are patriotic peace-loving people of
Ezillo who have great sense of history and are working tirelessly to
inform their children of true position of events. Obviously, youthful
exuberance and quest for material acquisition seem to drown this voice of
peace and reason at least for now. I urge such elders of reason not to
relent in their efforts but to keep talking. I firmly believe that actions
and inactions of government at all levels in the State have directly and
indirectly fueled this crisis.
My investigation has revealed an unholy relationship between the
disbursement of monthly allocations to local governments in Ebonyi State
and upsurge in the crisis.
The actions of the state government since hostilities broke out have
continued to beat the imaginations of many Ebonyians and Nigerians of the
21st Century. For example, at the onset of the crisis, our reversed
Governor,Chief Martin Elechi at the meeting of Ebonyi elders in Abakaliki,
was said to have canvassed the traditional oath be administered on the
warring parties to determine ownership of the disputed spot. I sincerely
recommend this proposal of our governor to the Chief Justice of Nigeria in
resolving all thorny electoral disputes including his own.
Next, the Ebonyi State government set up a Peace Committee headed by a
traditional ruler, Eze Chibueze Agbo. Ordinarily, there is nothing wrong
in having a Peace Committee but the headship leaves much to be desired.
Eze Chibueze Agbo is a traditional ruler in Ngbo, a people who just came
out of conflict with Ezzas living in Effium in Ohaukwu Local Government
and agelong hatred for the Ezza people. I leave it to you what verdict,
conclusions; recommendations will come out of such an ill-structured
Committee.
As if that was not enough, the Executive Governor of the State in his
address to State on 2nd October, 2008, further compounded the matter. The
highlights of his address on the crisis among others issues were the
imposition of dusk-to-down curfew; deployment of troops to the villages,
with reaching orders to shoot-at-sight, creation of an Ezza enclave and
resettlement of the Ezzas from their traditional land.
Additionally, the Ezzas were banned from having their own traditional
leader; practicing their age-long traditions, owning schools, hospitals,
markets, in short ordered to jettison their cooperate identity. This is
part of the new deal-gospel of peace according to “Ochudo” (Peace
seeker).
In all of these, the impositions of curfew, the deployment of troops
though without sequel are in order though temporary. Our fears with the
deployment of soldiers were confirmed; when only yesterday when they
(soldiers) invaded Ezza community in Ezillo unleashed mayhem on helpless
and already highly grief-stricken people, taking some of them hostages.
But one cannot reconcile the creation of an enclave for a people in their
own land. The forced conscription of Ezzas into non-existent entity with
attendant loss of their identity may well be an Achilles’ heel of the
government peace efforts. One wonders if peace can be decreed.
Having carefully examined the genesis of the crisis and the peace efforts
been adopted so far, it is important to state at this point that the
State Government is playing ostrich. Going by the 1999 Constitution
every Nigerian, irrespective of his tribe, who has resided in a
particular place for up to a period of 10 years, has the right to vote
and be voted for, for all positions in his area of abode. This right,
guaranteed Ezzas like every other Nigerian by this all-important national
document, is withdrawn by a wave of hand by our Governor.
1. We hereby implore the Federal Government, Civil liberties
organisations to urgently intervene and restore the constitutional right
of all Ebonyians including the Ezzas.
2. We urge all Ebonyians whose rights are so infringed upon to take
all available legal steps to reverse these unkind, undemocratic, despotic
decisions of the Ebonyi State Government
3. We urge the State Government to engage the Ezillos and Ezzas, long
-term friends in an open, frank and constructive, dialogue with neutral
and unbiased arbitrators with a view to instilling confidence and mutual
understanding rather than the present policy of segregation and ethnic
cleansing on Ezza- Ezillo.
4. The State should, in order to create atmosphere for dialogue,
directly administer Ishielu Local Government from Abakaliki, if not
permanently, at least temporarily till the complete cessation of
hostilities and restoration of enduring peace.
5. In the event that the State Government and the Ezillo adamantly
insist on resettling the Ezzas in Ezillo, the Ezzas should have unfettered
right to demand reparations not only for the land, but the human cost
suffered in the defense of Ezillo. The state Government should be ready
and willing to pay the agreed compensation in that case.
6. We sincerely urge the State Government to pursue this peace
process with human face by providing the necessary monetary and material
assistance to all victims on both sides of the divide instead of the
ill-advised policy of segregation.
7. The Ebonyi State Government should urgently reverse the ugly trend
of excluding the Ezzas in governance at both State and Federal levels, at
least the various nominations to positions at state and federal levels are
clear testimonies. This will not only restore confidence but instill since
of belonging to all Ebonyians, which is not the case presently. It is
important to place on record for the Nigerian people the combined assult
of Ishielu Local government, the state government and the Nigerian Army in
the area, which is gradually and systematically snuffing out the people of
Ezza-Ezillo community from the map of Ebonyi state.
The Ebonyi state government has never hidden their bias and interest in
the conflict between Ezza-Ezillo and their neighbours Ezillo. The state
and the Local government, instead of mediating and maintaining neutral
stand in the crisis, have continued to do everything within their powers,
including funding to tilt the conflict in favour of the Ezillo people
who are apparently more politically connected to the government of Chief
Martin Elechi
In all the period of conflict, Ezza-Ezillo community has remained the
battle field. The community have never taken the war to their Ezillo
brothers but have had to continually defend themselves against series of
attacks from the Ezillo people who obviously enjoy great immunity and
motivation from government at all levels. The question is , for how long
would the Ezza-Ezillo people hold out in the face of such relentless
assault from their Ezillo brothers?
Ezza-Ezillo has continually called for peace but it appears the government
and the powers that be, want them broken. To bow, bend and eventually
break.
The military whose actions are perceived as the role of the Federal
government in the crisis has perfectly been playing agent provocateur in
the conflict.
While they have been indicted for supplying arms to a faction in the
crisis , the Army is claiming to have arrested militants in the warring
factions, for illegal possession of arms. This and other illegalities
culminated in the recall of the former detachment of military personnel in
the warring community , especially those led by one Captain Tasunda.
The present army detachment is gradually confirming public suspicion that
they were deployed not to maintain peace, but to subdue the Ezza-Ezillo
people. The army which was previously barring Ezza-Ezillo youths from
coming into their community have now extended the treatment to women and
children of the community.
Today, Ezza-Ezillo women who go to town to sell their farm produce for
survival, are barred by the soldiers from coming back to their homes thus
subjecting the Ezza-Ezillo to extreme abuse,subjugation and possible
extinction.
Their children hardly attend school as public functions and utilities have
become increasingly hazardous while the Ezillo people are living normally
with every aspect of their lives catered for by government . This bias
also reflects why no Ezza-Ezillo man have occupied any office, even as
small as a councilor in all their 80 years of existence in Ishielu local
government area.
The Ezza-Ezillo people who are currently living under increasing anxiety
and tension have alleged thus, "the latest game plan is a grand conspiracy
by the soldiers and the sponsors of the Ezillo people to attack
Ezza-Ezillo with the excuse that our people initiated the fight. Under
this guise, the soldiers would burn down and totally destroy our community
thus obliterating us from the map of Ebonyi State ".
It would be recalled that instead of peaceful resolution of the crisis
between the Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo people, the State Government had
directed the Ezza-Ezillo people to abandon their home of over eight years
to relocate to a barren land without any infrastructure or social amenity.
Against this directive, which was in flagrant abuse of established
standard practices in any conflict situation, the Ezza-Ezillo people took
legal action challenging their forced displacement. This action apparently
drew the ire of Governor Martin Elechi who has now vowed to have his way
at all costs.
However, there are allegations purporting that the land owned and occupied
by the embattled Ezza?Ezillo community have all been secretly allocated to
some politicians, which informs the raging controversy and desperation
surrounding their forced-relocation.
Most of the Ezza-Ezillos of productive age have been turned to fugitives
in their own land.
Speaking to huhuonline.com, one of them lamented, "It is like the Nigerian
state have found us guilty without hearing our case. The State government
is maintaining an obstinate stand on this crisis because of the influence
of Ezillo people in the Elechi-led government".
Meanwhile, at the Democracy Day celebration, the people had expected the
government to categorically review and address the situation. In his
Democracy Day address, Governor Martin Elechi did not even spare a line
for the crisis but in a radio phone-in programme, he vowed to enforce his
will against the Ezza-Ezillo community at all costs, inspite of the
pending suit in court against his plot to evacuate the people from their
homes.
After concerted appeals to the presidency for intervention, without any
reactions, the continued utterances and threats of forced-displacement by
Governor Elechi has become more desperate and worrisome to good
conscience.
And as all the combined forces of government, politicians and interest
groups continue to snipe and mobilize against this peasant community, if
nothing is done by the presidency, the Ezza-Ezillo people would
increasingly get decimated.
Though there are some authoritative hints that the Senate has directed the
Chairman, Senate Committee on State and local government to look into the
plight of the Ezza-Ezillo people, it should be noted that the longer it
takes to get justice for this people, the more Ezza-Ezillo people that
would have to die.
End
BEN-BRIGHT MKPUMA, is the Head of Northern Operations, FINANCIAL STANDARD
+234 (0) 808 773 3337, 0803 400 4207
E-mail:bbmkpuma@yahoo.com; bbmkpuma@gmail.com; benbrightm@inbox.com
