Ebonyi Communal Crisis Attracts National Attention

*House of Representatives To The Rescue

*OHANIVO member moves Motion to end Ishinkwo-Ukawu crisis

In a very bold move, Hon. Nkemkanma Kama representing Ohaozara, Onicha and Ivo ( OHANIVO) Federal Constituency in the 10th Assembly has initiated moves, as his first major assignment, to end the over 100 years communal crisis between Ishinkwo and Ukawu communities, two communities in his constituency of Ebonyi state.

Moving a motion on the floor of the House, July 5, Kama noted the plight of the people of the area in what he described as an unending communal feud between the two communities. He told the House that the situation which started in year 1912 as a mild dispute over a rice farmland had snowballed into a full blown crisis, claiming lives and properties on regular basis.

The Rep member further lamented that the situation has not only claimed lives in both communities but has rendered the newly constructed highway by the state government impassable. The road he said, is the shortest route to Cross River State from Ebonyi and also the shortest route from his federal Constituency to the state capital, Abakaliki.

Apart from lives lost in the avoidable crisis, the honourable lamented that the crisis has rendered many homeless with people living in refugee camps as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) while the communities are presently occupied by Soldiers and other security forces"

Hon. Kama recalls that various attempts by past governments to resolve the crisis have failed, saying that the only peace accord that endured for a while was the 1987 Military Administration truce but the endemic crisis was re-ignited and escalated within the past seven years, he told his colleagues.

He further posited that efforts of the 2021 boundary adjustment committee initiated by the state government under the Chairmanship of Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali could not achieve the desired results. He therefore reminded the House that section 8 of the constitution is categorical on the primacy of the National Assembly and its attendant Act in Boundary adjustment.

He equally stated that the intervention of the house is in sync with section 14 (2) (b) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) which establishes that the primary function of the Government is Security and welfare of the people.

Meanwhile, among his prayers were that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) should take desired emergency response to mitigate the pathetic situation of the victims living in IDP camps. He equally requested the house to set up an Ad-hoc committee to investigate the remote and immediate causes of the crisis

The House, unanimously adopted the motion and approved that adhoc committee be constituted on Tuesday 11th July 2023 to report back within 6weeks for Legislative action.