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Institute Moves to Settle Ebonyi, Benue Warring Communities


Daily Trust (Abuja)


NEWS
25 June 2008
Posted to the web 25 June 2008

By Sunday Ejike Benjamin


Delegates from the Ngbo and Agila communities of Ebonyi And Benue States
yesterday converged in Abuja at the instance of the Institute for Peace and
Conflict Resolution (IPCR) and the Justice Development and Peace Commission
(JDPC) to resolve their age-long boundary disputes which had led to break down
of law and order in the area.

The delegates, comprised of tradi-tional rulers from the two communities;
commissioners of police from the two states, Deputy Inspector General of Police
(Operations), Director of the State Security Service of both states, officials
of catholic church as well as officials of the National Boundary Commission.



The Ebonyi State Commissioner for boarder security and conflict resolution, Mr.
Agu Okpani told Daily Trust that his govern-ment is after peace and that the
presence of stakeholders from the Ngbo and Agila communities had showed their
determination to resolve the boundary problems between them. "We are here to
reason together on how to find a lasting solution to the land dispute between
my state and Benue state. My governor determined to restore peace among the two
communities", he said, noting that no meaningful progress can take place
without peace.

Already, he said, there had been meetings of the two governors on how to
resolve the problems without having to go to war, pointing out also that the
two governments have agreed to jointly develop the areas in dispute for the
benefits of the two communities. Similarly, one of the delegates from the Agila
community of Benue State , Mr. Otogba Unogwu said, with the intervention of the
IPCR and JDPC, the crisis will be resolved amicably, noting however that the
best way to resolving such crisis lies in the sincerity of the people.


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