The Ebonyi State Government has released a white paper on the report of the committee set up to resolve the land dispute between Amana in Ezza South Local Government Area and Ohaukwu in Ikwo Local Government Area of the state.
Jude Okpor, the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, disclosed this at a press conference on Friday in Abakaliki.
Okpor noted that the committee found out that the discovery of lead in commercial quantity in the area and the removal of the cement boundary beacons established by the colonial masters were the immediate and remote causes of the crisis.
He noted that the committee set up by the state government has recommended the immediate re-establishment of boundary pillars as part of measures to end the crisis.
According to him, the White Paper, dated November 8, 2023, and endorsed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, contained government’s statements of adoption of the committee’s recommendations and the governor’s directive to concerned ministries and departments to implement the same.
“The committee, from its findings, set aside the earlier report of the Ebonyi State Peace Committee, which recommended government’s acquisition of the disputed land and properties and its subsequent partitioning between the contending communities.
“They observed that the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) committee did not consult archival evidence before arriving at its decision,” he explained
