Ebonyi govt distributes relief materials to over 2000 IDPs of inter village clashes

By Peter Okutu

ABAKALIKI—BARELY a month and three weeks after the inter-communal clashes involving Ogiri and Okporojo villages in Oso-Edda of Afikpo South local government area of the State, Ebonyi State government yesterday distributed relief materials to Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs, in the affected area.

The clashes which started 10th of June, 2017 led to the killing of Ogiri people by Okporojo village members who carried out a reprisal attack following an alleged killing of their kinsman by Ogiri people.

The clash was centred on a piece of land used for rice farming which both neighbouring villages had been laying claim to for quite some time.The affected village had been deserted when Vanguard last visited the area.

The relief materials included bags of rice, mattresses, cartons of Indomie noodles, wrappers and a donation of N100, 000 each to the displaced households in the affected village.
Flagging off the distribution exercise at the Government House, Abakaliki, Governor David Umahi stated that the reason for the gesture was to alleviate the sufferings and pains of the Ogiri people and encourage them that there is hope for a better  tomorrow.

Umahi, who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Eric Igwe called on the affected community to learn to live in peace and harmony as the state government would no longer tolerate incidences of crime, social disorder and threat to the existence of Ebonyi people.

According to him, “The government will henceforth sanction the leadership of any development union and traditional institution that witnesses any form of crisis in the state.”

He further advised the leadership at the rural level to live up to their responsibilities and ensure peace and stability in every part of their locality.
In his remarks, the chairman of Afikpo South local government area, Barr. Eni Uduma Chima, who lamented the condition of the affected village in terms of infrastructure and welfare added that the present administration has begun the reconstruction of the houses in the area to ensure that the people were comfortable and repositioned to face the challenges ahead of them.
Chima further noted that security personnel were fully mobilized within and around the affected village to ensure peace and order adding that his office would ensure that the relief materials were duly distributed to the IDPs.

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