The General Officer Commanding 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Adamu Baba Abubakar, turned peacemaker yesterday, Friday, when he reconciled the warring communities of Azuofia Edda, Okpuitumo, Ofomana in Osofon of Abakaliki Local Government Area of Ebonyi State and their counterparts in Ogorunde and Ofumuna communities in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The settlement of the rift between the communities was achieved after the army boss held a peace meeting with traditional, religious, political and youth leaders of the two communities.
The meeting was said to be as a result of the latest clash between Osofon Community and Ogorunde in Ebonyi and Cross River States on 1st September 2017 where 7 persons were allegedly killed and 2 others were wounded.
The meeting, according to military sources, had in attendance also, the Commissioners of Police from Ebonyi and Cross River States Mr. Titus Lamorde and Hafiz Mohammed respectively; representatives of the Department of State Security Services, the Special Advicers to the Ebonyi and Cross River States on Security, keneth Ugbala and Jude Ngaji.
Others in attendance were the Secretary to Ebonyi State Government Professor Bernard Odoh and the representative of Cross River State Government Mr. Emmanuel Bassey.
Also at the meeting were top government functionaries and community leaders, including the Ebonyi State Commissioner for Border and Peace, Sylvania Nwankwegu, former Senator Ngiji Ngele, Chief Jeremia Oketah, Honourable Mathew Uguru, Honourable Earnest Henriek, the traditional rulers from both communities Eze Godwin Nwankwegu and Eze Pious Nwamgele, as well as the Chairman Abakaliki Local Government Area Ebonyi State.
During the stakeholders peace meeting, the warring communities voluntarily agreed to forgive each other, eschew further acts of violenve and genuine commitment to the resolutions at the meeting.
The reconciliation was confirmed by the Deputy Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa. [myad]