By Jonathan Ugbal
Monarchs in Obudu Local Government Area of Cross River State and Vandeikya Local Government Area of neighboring Benue State on Wednesday, met in Bekwarra Local Government Area, a neutral ground to chart a path towards resolving the interstate conflict between Abonkib and Mbazerem communities in both councils respectively.
No fewer than four lives have been confirmed dead, within a fortnight, with the Obudu Traditional Rulers Council describing the actions as a gang war after a viral video of the gruesome murder of a Tiv man, Ternenge Ikpanor, in Obudu, which led to several arrests by the Nigerian Police.
READ: Communal Clash: Obudu Traditional Rulers Sue For Peace, Trace Killing To Gang Revenge
“I, the head of the traditional rulers in Vandeikya, have come, together with my counterpart in Obudu, in a meeting, have agreed that from today, hostilities between Mbazerem and Abonkib, has seized. There is no more crisis,” said HRH Nyiyongo Achiaku the Ter Kunav while addressing the press, after the meeting.
Flanked by the Chairman, Vandeikya Local Government, Dennis Guda, his counterpart in Obudu, HRM, Utsu Felix Okudare and the Obudu Council Chairman, Peter Undiandeye, while the Acting Chairman of Bekwarra, Egbung Odama watched on, the monarch averred that; “Everybody should go back, let us have exchange of activities in our markets in Obudu and Vandeikya Local Government. We are saying this because, hencefort only peace, peace, and peace will go on. We thank God.”
READ ALSO: Cross River Government Convenes Peace Meeting To Address Communal Crisis In Ikom, Obudu LGAs
“We declare here and now that today, we have met and agreed that peace should be restored to our areas, in Obudu, Vandeikya and the entire region. The Children of Nigeria should be made to move freely, do their normal businesses, go back to school, their friends and families without molestation,” Utsu Okudare, the Paramount Ruler of Obudu said, while calling on the youths to lay down their arms.
“We are calling on our youths to lay down their arms. We are not in support of them. We do not want them to continue to spoil our land. We are peace loving people. We, the people of Obudu and Vandeikya; we are not independent, we must be inter-dependent; Vandeikya people farm in Obudu, our people in Obudu do business in Vandeikya, likewise the Vandeikya people do business in Obudu. We want business to resume, let all economic activities between the two communities resume.
“No more trouble. The Federal College of Education was closed down, we want it resumed. Students from Benue State are no longer in the Nursing School, they should return to their school. The Children of Vandeikya who were in Obudu working; some of them left, they should return to their places of work. All the markets that were closed down are declared open today. Let the highways be open today. Today, we are free, today, we are happy. We say, let the bygones be bygones,” Utsu Okudare added.
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