Ebonyi govt cautions against crisis- money making syndrome

Ebonyi State government has expressed displeasure against some citizens of the state who have seen crisis and other disturbances in various communities of the state as a business venture and warned such individuals to desist forthwith and allow peace to reign in the state.

Addressing journalists recently in Abakaliki on government commitment and effort to resolve lingering land disputes in the State, Commissioner for Border, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Professor Awo Nwobasi, said some people deceived gullible members of the troubled communities in the state to contribute money for crisis, but ended up enriching themselves.

Professor Awo Nwobasi, however, said the ministry’s effort has yielded enormous results in revolving various disputes in communities of the state, including minining communities.

Ebonyi State government has expressed hope that considering the rapid civilisation and enlightenment ongoing in the State, the disturbing issue of land grabbing and boundary disputes will soon be a thing of the past.

Addressing journalists recently in Abakaliki on government commitment and effort to resolve lingering land disputes in the State, Commissioner for Border, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Professor Awo Nwobasi, said the ministry's effort has yielded enormous results.

According Professor Nwobasi, when he took over the affairs of the ministry in July 2025, he met catalogues and avalanche of problems, saying that the ministry has tried to resolve many of them using diplomatic measures.

Enumerating some of the communities where the ministry has brokered peace, Nwaobasi said the ministry has mediated between Nduakparata versus Nduezeoke, Abomege versus Ishinkwo, Ose Edda Ndukwe versus Okprojo.

He added that other areas visited were Nkalaha, Umuogodoakpu,Nkalaha and Ezza-Nkalaha and others places where the ministry held strategic meetings with the communities in order to broker peace.

He said, “We have had serious meetings with them, mediations, talks to people, to be able to tell us the truth. It is only when we tell people the truth that we will be able to resolve some of those things”, he said.

The Commissioner disclosed further that the Ebonyi State government has been able to resolve land disputes which has lasted up to one hundred years, tracing some of the lands matters being handled by the government to 1913.

“We have resolved almost but for lingering ones. There are some cases that are over 100 years. The one that we just came back from now has been there for over 90 something years. And we are going to solve it. The one of Ishinkwo is there.

“I remember that the Supreme Court judgement is there. That was made in 1912. The one of Nkaleha, Umuogodoakpu that has been lingering since 1933”, he recalled.

He further reiterated that most of the crisis bedevilling the state were caused by migrations, land grabbing and conquest agenda, while calling on the citizens of the state and communities leaders to avoid issues that could further plunge the state into crisis.

He said, “You know, in those days, in the early 17th and 18th centuries, people were going for conquests. You know what I mean by conquests? You go, you conquer, you occupy, you stay. There are no more tenable these days.

“But people still apply it. And that’s what we want to settle. We do not want people to invade people’s homes, people’s land, in the name of conquest. We don’t want that. We are civilised now. Or we are near civilisation”, he stated.