Suspected warlords of Abaomege/Ishinkwo communities in Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, have set ablaze a government excavator used in the demarcation of the disputed area.
Recall that the two neighbouring communities have been at war over a vast fertile land, with many lives lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed.
Upon assumption of office, the state governor, Francis Nwifuru set up a committee to resolve the crisis and issued a white paper that recommends demarcation of the communities with roads and wide drainage channels, among other measures to ensure lasting peace.
The demarcation process has been ongoing since this year until Tuesday this week when one of the excavators carrying out the exercise was burnt down by suspected warlords who were not comfortable with the terms of the peace initiative.
During an on-the-spot visit to the war zone by journalists on Thursday amid tight security, the local government chairman, Ikechukwu Ogbofia, described the incident as unfortunate and sabotage of government efforts but insisted that peace must prevail in the area.
Ogbofia, who spoke through the Public Relations Officer of the local government, Omekannaya Orogwu, said it occurred one week after one of the warring communities threatened to destroy the equipment being used in the demarcation if it was not done according to their choices.
He vowed that instead of the incident weakening the demarcation, it will rather strengthen the exercise for the interest of peace.
“There is no amount of threat, there is no amount of sabotage that will stop the ongoing demarcation of the communities because to us as a government, that will bring permanent solutions to that age-old war,”;; he said.
Ogbofia said the government would take another measure to ensure that the demarcation was completed.
