The leaders of Effium in the Ohaukwu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, under the umbrella of Effium Elders, have rejected the new peace committee recently set up by the Ebonyi State Government and headed by Ambassador Frank Ogbuewu, former minister of culture and tourism.
In a letter dated 22 May, 2024 and addressed to Governor Francis Nwifuru, the Effium Elders claimed that the former minister would be impartial because his wife is from Ezza, a party to the raging crisis in the Effium community.
The letter, which was signed by Elder Ideyi Onwe, Pastor Dominic Ogbuoke, and 14 others, however, commended Nwifuru for his efforts to restore permanent peace in Effium community.
“We humbly write to commend your Excellency for your numerous achievements within a year of your assumption of office as the Executive Governor of Ebonyi state. We are particularly pleased with your strong disposition/determination towards ensuring that enduring peace returns to all crisis-ridden areas in the state, especially the Effium community.
“Your approach towards the restoration of peace in Effium has been very wonderful, especially with the setting up of the retired Bishop Okoro-led Peace Committee that brought out far-reaching recommendations that would make for permanent peace and which _your Excellency promised to implement 100% and was at the final stage of achieving that before the process was regrettably aborted.
“Your Excellency Sir, Effium people will continue to stand by you and the Effium peace process and wish to bring to your knowledge that our sons who are representing us at the peace meetings have briefed us on the outcome of their meeting with the new peace committee especially the way they were subjected to bullying and unwarranted intimidation by the Committee Chairman Amb Frank Ogbuewu. We take strong exceptions to this, however, we take responsibility for our representatives not endorsing the new peace Accord as the contents portend danger for the continued survival/identity of the Effium race.
“We consider this new draft of the Peace Accord as not only an afterthought but an aberration in the history of dispute resolution the world over. Consequently, we wish to state as follows:
“That Effium people stand by the Peace Accord joyfully signed by both parties without let or hindrance on the 14th day of March 2024 as the contents emanated from the recommendations of the Bishop Okoro-led Peace Committee.
“That the Chairman of the new peace committee should recuse himself from the committee. We say this because being married to an Ezza woman, he is automatically an interested party. This is our strong fear.
“That our three sons who desperately signed the document did not do that on behalf of Effium people but for their pecuniary interest and we have strong reservations for their actions. A popular African adage says “If you sell your brother even the buyer will not trust you.
“Once again we wish to commend and enjoin you not to see the actions of our sons on the 21st day of May 2024 as an attempt to disparage your commitment to the restoration of total peace in Effium as they have a mandate from us as the custodian of Effium land to act in that manner,” the letter read.
Effium/Ezza crisis: Community rejects new peace committee chairman