TEXT OF A PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE EGGON CULTURAL AND DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATTON (ECDA) ON THE GROWING STATE OF UNCERTAINTY AND TENSIONS ARISING FROM RECENT ATTACKS ON THE EGGON PEOPLE BY OTHER ETHNIC NATIONALITIES IN NASARAWA STATE. 27th NOVEMBER 2012
Gentlemen of the Press
The Eggon Cultural and Development Association (ECDA) is a Socio-cultural group and ihe mouth piece of the Eggon nation, founded in 1973. The objective of this Association is promoting the spirit of unity, peace and understanding amongst the Eggon people regardless of ideology, sex, religion or place of origin. It also includes creating a forum for mutual harmonization of matters affecting the welfare and aspirations of the Eggon nation. Another objective of ECDA is to facilitate inter ethnic relations with others.
2. Recently the Eggon nation has been bedevilled with alot of crisis resulting in the wanton loss of lives and properties which cannot be quantified in measurable terms. This crisis is ethno-political and socio-economic in nature and for the records we intend to state a few cases.
3. On the 30th day of March 2007 Alago Militias, attacked our peace loving people in Assakio town in Lafia East Development Area, with the sole aim of annihilating (cleansing) the Eggon people for no just cause. The Eggons lost so many lives and over 200 houses totally razed down. Despite our cry to both the State Government and the law enforcement agencies, nothing was done to either compensate our people over the loss of either properties or even a visit from any government official to condole us over the loss of lives.
4. On Saturday 7th April, 2012 a band of Fulani militia attacked our people in Yelwa Ediya in Doma Local Government Area kilJing 9 Eggon people and burning 22 houses belonging to Eggon people.
5. On the 1st day of June 2012, the Alago Militia with the support of other invited ethnic militias attacked the Eggon Quarters in Assakio town, killing some of our people. The reason for the attack is what they called non payment of royalty/tribute of a bag of rice per Eggon farmer as imposed by the Alago Community Leader. Our people defended themselves. The rest is now history.
6. On the 18th day of October 2012, a band of Fulani militia attacked our people in Angwan Alaku and Kadarko Railway Villages of Giza Development Area. This led to the death of 9 Eggon people who were not only butchered but parts of their bodies were mutilated and removed and their corpses deposited in the bush close to their farms.
7. As if that was not enough, on the 17th day of November 2012, a joint team comprising of the Nigerian Army and State Security Service in full war regalia and commando style invaded Alogani village at the foot of the Eggon Hills distracted and attacked our armedless and helpless people who had gone there to perform their cultural cum religious rites. The armed invaders shot and wounded 5 of our people which led to a peaceful protest by the Eggon people in Nassarawa Eggon thereby free flow of traffic along Lafia-Akwanga highway. The arrival of His Excellency the Executive Governor who denied having knowledge of the armed invasion by the Security operatives saved the situation from further deterioration.
8. On the 21st day of November 2012 Pandemonium broke out in Gwadenye and Agyaragu communities which led to the loss of lives. It is unfortunate that this is happening between two ethnic groups that have peacefully coexisted since the beginning of time. The cordial relationship between the Eggons and Migilis can better be explained with the level of inter marriages between the two ethnic groups. Our doors are open for reconciliatory talks with the Migili nation on the way forward.
9. Our attention has been widely drawn to a media war and campaign of calumny against the good and peace-loving Eggon people in recent times. These calculated and coordinated efforts to ethnic cleansing of our people from the Nasarawa South Senatorial District by a cabal including the so-called former Lafia-Division Elders Forum and their cohorts who believe that the Eggon people should be annihilated from the Southern Senatorial District because they are ‘settlers’. We do not want to join issues with this cohort of misguided, mischievous and malicious cabal, whose position on the issue was permanently nailed to the coffin by the Supreme Court of Nigeria in its judgement delivered on the 6th day of July, 2012.
10. Let us make it clear for the records that the Eggon people are peaceful, law abiding and tolerant having withstood all acts of aggression and provocation meted to them in times past and will continue to live in peace with their neighbours for the overall development of Nasarawa State and Nigeria at large.
11. We totally condemn the use of violence as a means of settling grievances; we also want to put on record the nefarious and mischievous activities of certain interests in government who have refused to sleep until the Eggon nation is completely wiped away from the face of the earth. We make bold to say that God in His wisdom created the Akyes, Alagos, Eggons, Fulanis, Gwandaras, Hausas, Kanuri, Milgilis and the Tiv. He created us not to fight and exterminate one another but to harness our diversities for the growth and progress of humanity.
12.We want to use this medium to appeal to all these Ethnic nationalities to embrace the path of peace and progress and shun the path of violence which has not and will not help us in any way.
13. We must also make it known that The Government has also not been proactive when it comes to attending to emergencies as it affects the Eggon nation. A typical example is the Yelwa and Angwan Alaku crisis where our people were massacred without a single word of consolation from thegovernment.
14. We call on the security operatives to be sincere and neutral in the discharge of their duties. Recently a number of our Youths were arrested for no just cause and no evidence of their involvement in any act of violence. A case in point is after the massacre of our people in Angwan Alaku. To add salt to injury the security operatives started arresting our Youths in different places and putting them behind bars after brutalizing and maltreating them. As we speak, there is a random and indiscriminate arrest of innocent Eggon people in the guise of investigation. We are keenly watching to see the outcome. We also wish to state that presently trouble makers have invaded farms belonging to Eggon people
and are harvesting and destroying their farm produce. Quite a number of our people have been ambushed on their way to the farms by a band of people who do no want to see peace prevail.
15. We are also aware of the recent arrest of 4 Fulani militia men dressed in army uniforms and in possession of AK-47 Riffles on one hand and also 4 Alago boys from Assakio who were arrested with 7 N&-A7 paraded on national media but today, as we speak, they are free men parading the streets of our towns and cities. This is selective justice.
16. The activities of the State Security Service need to be investigated especially their roles in the invasion of AJogani Centre on the 17th day of November 2012. We also call on the Nasarawa State Government to investigate the activities of some public officers who have been using their exalted offices to fuelling the crisis. This in spite of the block votes of the Eggon people to bring this government to power.
17. We appreciate the recent measures taken by the Governor at arresting further escalation of crisis. We assure His Excellency of the support of Eggon people to develop our dear State as we will never start a fight with any ethnic group and will not support, subscribe or ascribe to violence in any form.
18. Finally, we commiserate with all who lost their beloved ones in the cause of these crises.
Thank you and God bless
Chris Tnva Mamman National President ECDA