Ezzillo community is centrally located in Ebonyi North Senatorial Zone. It stands out as one of the fastest developing communities in Ebonyi North.
It�s predominantly an agrarian community and it�s believed to be a food basket for millions of families across the South East.
However, the communal clash that is currently ravaging the community has destroyed the peace and security of the once quiet area. The continued killings two weeks after the crisis have also led to a state of instability in the community.
Persistent and sometimes, reprisal attack with its attendant destruction of lives and properties generated serious concern to both government and individuals over the weeks but it seems a permanent solution has eluded the government on this problem.
Much as everyone acknowledges the importance of peace to development and growth, there have been multiple instances where Ebonyi State is simultaneously lit with violence at different points.
For over two weeks now when the first argument over ownership of a little portion of land erupted, the Ezzillo and Ezza communities in Ishielu local government area of Ebonyi State have known no peace. The face-off, which was sparked over a piece of land meant for erection of a phone booth, claimed over 15 lives and properties worth billions of naira.
The face-off between the two communities followed reports that an Ezzillo man wanted to erect a phone booth on a piece of land but was resisted by an Ezza man who claimed ownership of the land.
Consequently, tempers flared and in the violence of Saturday, May 17, 2008, two persons were killed and over 150 houses razed. Since then it has been one killing or another while death toll has risen to 18.
Residents were forced to take refuge in neigbouring communities, they claimed that so many people have been killed, others were also abducted and taken to undisclosed locations.
Police spokesman Fredrick Nudan, an Assistant Superintendent (ASP) confirmed two people dead. Several others, he said, fled the area.
The police promised to ensure the security of lives and properties of the people and urged them to return to their homes.
Our correspondent�s findings showed that on Sunday, May 18, the state governor made an unscheduled visit to the community to ascertain the level of destruction of life and properties.
Governor Martin Elechi could not hold back tears as he saw properties, livestock, markets destroyed within a twinkling of an eye. As though they were not bothered by the presence of the State Governor, the community continued their arson.
While the arson lasted the Governor condemned the act and wondered how such communal clash could have brewed up leading to the level of destruction of lives and property in view of the state government policies and programmes aimed at bettering the lot of the people.
The severity of the crisis compelled our correspondent to visit the community; on our visit not even one individual was sighted in the entire community, livestock that were burnt littered the entire place, shops with goods worth millions of Naira were looted, residential houses were not spared.
But the Chairman Ishielu local government area Mr Onwa Ali Onwa was on hand to narrate the ordeal to our correspondent. He said that on May 17, 2008 he was informed about the communal clash at Ezzillo between the Ezzillo host community and the Ezza people who they alleged were strangers.
Onwa noted that he responded immediately and informed the commissioner for Border Security and Conflict Resolution Mr. Okpani Vincent, they both headed for the government house to inform the state Governor but unfortunately the governor was not on seat.
The Secretary to the State Government was briefed on the incident. Immediately contingents of Mobile policemen were drafted to the warring community alongside military personnel from the Nkwagu cantonment to beef up security in the area.
But the presence of the military and the police did not deter the people from committing further arson in the area, several people continued to flee the community for fear of the unknown.
Feeding became a problem for the over five thousand displaced persons until Mrs Nosa Alor, the coordinator of Ezza West Development Centre came with relief materials.
The materials, which included food items, drugs, detergents, clothing and other items, were distributed to the victims. When The Nation visited the displaced on May 20 2008, three days after the crisis, many were still trooping to the camp following continued burning of houses in the community.
One of the victims, Mrs Elizabeth Npkor whose house was razed urged Governor Elechi to mediate in the crisis.
She said “Why these miscreants continued to vandalize, loot and burn down people�s homes, without being mindful of military and police presence, is simply because the military and police are not bothered.
“My house, which was not initially affected, was on Monday 19th May two days after the police came, razed down when we had all gone to work. It is very sad that one week into the crisis and police presence in the area over 250 houses have either been vandalized or razed completely.
Devastated by the level of destruction, she pointed out that the best option to bring to an end the arson and killings was to instruct the police to shoot on sight.
Funnily, it was in the search of peace that traditional rulers from Ikwo, Mgbejiogu, Ezza and Ezzillo performed traditional rites, with the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Assembly and notable personalities in the state present, where several items of war which include gun, machetes, bow, wood were destroyed and buried signifying end to the crisis.
Onwa interpreted the tradition rite that was performed in Abakaliki language.
The rite, according to the council boss signifies the end to hostilities.
Elechi on the occasion accused irresponsible leaders for the communal clash and set up a seven-man peace committee to mediate in the crisis. The committee swing into action immediately.
Barely few days after the remarkable traditional rite and the setting up of the peace committee that was witnessed by even the respected Catholic priest in the State, Rev John Odeh, hostilities resumed and the guns boomed again.
This time more sophisticated weapons were freely used. There was a report of a renewed guerilla system of attack that forced a contingent of police that were already sent back to base, to return to keep peace.
Shockingly on May 29, attackers allegedly killed Donatus Chima, from Okpochiri community in Ezzillo said to be in his early 40s. Chima was said to have been shot by unidentified assailant, the next day another young man was also killed, his hand chopped off and there was an attempt to also behead him. The council boss Onwa, said the corpses were rejected at most of the mortuaries but were later deposited at Ituku Ozara in Enugu State.
The most shocking news of the crisis was reported on Sunday June 1, 2008 when three elderly women were brutally killed through direct attack in the lingering communal clash. Massive onslaughts of targeted victims at flash points of the skirmishes were recorded. Onwa described the unfortunate incident as ” reprisal attack” but expressed dismay that it was coming when the government was trying to resolve the crisis.”
He said “by far the killing of the woman posted the worst case in the crisis, adding that even in war, women and children are protected and wondered how an onslaught could have been targeted at women to an extent of brutally killing an elderly woman who cannot hurt a fly.
The council boss has continued to appeal to the warring factions to stop fighting in the interest of peace.
The police were also said to have recovered 76 AK 47 shells and 178 live cartridges in the course of the crisis. The police and military presence has continued to be felt in the warring community.
The fate of the Ezza people who fled the area has remained uncertain, especially now that it seems the crisis has left an indelible mark on the both communities. Despite the air of uncertainty that hangs over them, the people of Ezza living in Ezzillo preferred to remain in their settlement area while the state government finds a lasting solution to the problem.
Mr. Hycienth Onwe said” for centuries we have been living in Ezzillo, our ancestors inhabited there, it would not be in our best interest to go back now. We are not used to our ancestral home, all our life we have lived in Ezzillo so we expect that some day we all will go back. We will keep agitating at every given opportunity to be resettled in Ezzillo, the only home we have known as our own.”
Authorities, in line with the reasoning of the affected displaced persons, promised to resettle the people, but the firm commitment to resettle them was glaringly absent even when relief materials have been distributed to them. By last week, frustration had set in among the displaced persons due to the renewed hostilities. The seeming willingness of the state government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) to resettle them, as they demanded was also halted by the reprisal attacks now going on.
In an interview, Mr Johnson Igwe from Ezzillo, said �to achieve lasting peace, the committee should be directed to visit the community as part of their assignment to determine the lands owned by Ezza people.
“We are pleading that the committee should visit the community, we are not asking the Ezza people to leave our land, what we are asking is that the land that belongs to us should not be disputed. It is possible for us to reside together as we have done with their forefathers but bad blood, anger are already generated by the crisis. The committee should work out modalities to resettle both the Ezzillo community and the Ezza people, we are all brothers.
“Most of us, our mothers are from Ezza and we would not want to ask them to leave. We believe the state government can find a lasting peace to the crisis.”
Some ethnic representatives reiterated that it was not a land dispute between the two communities as widely speculated but regretted that the crisis had been hijacked by hoodlums, miscreants and other trouble makers who are benefiting.
On her part, Mrs. Victoria Nkpor echoed the same thing. “We cannot leave Ezzillo now, and though some people do not want us but majority of Ezzillo people still have link with us. It is only few trouble makers that are against peace. We left our homes in Ezza to settle in Ezzillo, we have contributed meaningfully to the development of Ezillo, economically and socially, we have lived with them for centuries now so we are asking the government to create a conducive environment so that we can be resettled”.