In response to escalating violence along the Ebonyi–Benue border, senior government officials, community leaders, and development coordinators convened an emergency peace and security summit under the leadership of CP Adaku Uche-Anya, Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Command.
The meeting was prompted by the recent killing of at least 11 individuals in a cross-border assault linked to the protracted Effium–Ezza crisis.
The high-level summit, held Tuesday at Police Headquarters, Abakaliki, brought together representatives from affected communities, security agencies, and state authorities to strategise on preventing retaliatory attacks, curtailing communal unrest, and stabilising the fragile border region.
Security briefings presented at the summit revealed that the fatalities occurred in parts of Benue State, with multiple homes and properties destroyed in what sources described as a coordinated incursion.
Preliminary intelligence suggests that the assailants may have originated from the Akparata axis in Effium, although the attack fell outside Ebonyi State’s jurisdiction.
Chief Chinedu Awo, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Power and Energy, stressed the commitment of the Ezza bloc to the government-brokered ceasefire, affirming ongoing consultations at both grassroots and leadership levels.
“We remain committed to peace. Our communities are adhering to the directive, and feedback will continue to be relayed to security authorities,” he said.
The summit also addressed concerns regarding the pace of geographical demarcation of newly created autonomous communities carved from the former Effium territory. CP Uche-Anya assured stakeholders that the matter would be escalated to relevant government authorities to expedite resolution.
Highlighting structural interventions, Mr. Moses Ogalegu, Coordinator of Effium South Development Centre, emphasised institutional measures since his appointment, including routine security briefings, stakeholder engagement, and collaboration with the military and civil defence corps.
He credited Governor Francis Nwifuru with initiating the administrative demarcation process, describing it as critical to achieving sustainable separation and long-term peace.
Prince James Agena, President-General of Effium Community, characterised the meeting as comprehensive and conciliatory, stressing the importance of peaceful coexistence.
He called for urgent implementation of the demarcation gazette and cautioned against destabilising influences from diaspora actors and misinformation on social media. He further highlighted opportunistic criminality, including looting and illegal felling of economic trees, in the absence of fully defined boundaries.
Similarly, Mr. Monday Eze, President-General of Alioma Autonomous Community, acknowledged the Commissioner’s proactive measures while reiterating that incomplete demarcation remains the epicentre of the crisis.
He urged the government to establish definitive timelines for relocation and resettlement and advocated for expanded security presence across the expansive border terrain.
High Chief Igboke Emmanuel, leader of the Ezza people in Ezekuna-Alioma Autonomous Community, reaffirmed his community’s adherence to the ceasefire but raised concerns over targeted attacks, citing past incidents such as a beheading last year. He noted that, despite indications that security agencies are aware of the perpetrators’ identities, no arrests have been made.
Stakeholders collectively proposed three key measures to stabilise the region: accelerated completion of demarcation exercises, increased deployment of police, military, and civil defence personnel, and thorough investigation and prosecution of perpetrators and alleged sponsors.
While relative calm has been observed in recent months, including political and social activities within Effium, the recent cross-border fatalities underscore the volatility of the situation.
Summit participants emphasised that restraint, institutional coordination, and decisive security action remain critical to averting another cycle of communal bloodshed in one of southeastern Nigeria’s most sensitive conflict corridors.
With security agencies now on heightened alert, focus has shifted to operationalising demarcation timelines, intelligence-driven enforcement, and coordinated inter-state security measures between Ebonyi and Benue authorities.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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