community drags Elechi to Yar’Adua

Like the people of Bakassi, the Ezza-Ezillos in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state are facing eviction from their ancestral home. While the case of Bakassi could be said to have an international link, Ezza – Ezillo case is more pathetic, as their own displacement comes from their own very people, principally, Ebonyi state government. (Pictures left & right show Governor Elechi, President Yar'Adua & IG Okiro)

The sad story of Ezza – Ezillo people started May 9 last year. A minor disagreement had, on that fateful day, ensued between a young man from Ezillo and another from Ezza over where to erect a stand for a phone booth in the community. The following day, the disagreement which could have passed for a slight misunderstanding between the two kinsmen degenerated to a wave of unprecedented attacks by the Ezillos on their Ezza–Ezillo brethren.

The violent attacks witnessed maiming and killing of people, burning down of houses, as well as destruction of farm lands destroyed among others. The people of Ezza –Ezillo, in self-defense, retaliated and the consequence was a bloody communal conflict between the group of kinsmen.

Following the dastardly and blood-chilling conflicts, Ebonyi state government set up a peace committee, headed by Chibueze Agbo, traditional ruler of Ezzamgbo community in the state. The constitution of the peace committee was vehemently opposed by Ezza Ezillo people who feared that the outcome of its findings would not be founded on objectivity. They feared that Agbo, being an Ngbo man, would not be objective enough as to dispense justice in the matter.

For this reason, Ezza–Ezillo people were reluctant to submit any memorandum to the committee. True to their fears, even when the peace committee has not concluded its work, the state governor, Chief Martin Elechi, went ahead and adopted some of its recommendations.

One of the recommendations which seems to reflect bias and partiality is the relocation of the Ezza – Ezillo people to another piece of land called Egu – Echara, which is not only small, but, according to the people, presently occupied by the Ezillo and Ngbo people.

The relocation of Ezza-Ezillo was contained in a special broadcast by Governor Elechi on October 2, 2008 and tagged: “The Tragedy of Ezillo and its new beginning”.
“Consequently, Government has decided to approve and implement the two key recommendations of the committee as follows:
(i) On the demand by Ezillo people that Ezza – Ezillo should completely vacate Ezillo land Government accept the recommendation of the peace committee which views such a request as unjustifiable on the ground that it was Ezillo people that invited the Ezzas to assist them fight their Ngbo rivals over a disputed parcel of land at Egu Echara
(ii) The committee also recommended that for peace to reign permanently at Ezillo, the Ezza – Ezilo should relocate to Egu–Echara land originally allocated to them by Ezillo people through the customary method of land allocation (imaba ogbu). Government accepts that recommendation”.

This proposal relocation has places serious moral and social burdens on the government of Ebonyi state. Though the government contradicts itself in paragraph 10 of the said statement by acknowledging that the Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo people have co-inhabited for scores of decades now which has generated a very cordial relationship such as inter-marriages, it did not put these factors into consideration.

The question is, where in Nigeria history have a people been abruptly dislocated from their socio-economic and cultural base? It is unfortunate that the solution, which Ebonyi state government claims that it has preferred for peace to reign was never contemplated in the worst civil disturbances of the Chambers – kutebs, Tivs – Jukuns of Benue and Taraba states respectively, Fulanis – Tivs of plateau state, Ijaws- Itsekiri of Delta state, Umuleri – Aguleri of Anambra state just to mention but a few. The most pathetic factor is that the dimension of the above riots could, in no way, be compared to that of Ezillo and Ezza – Ezillo.

Another pitiable dimension to the issue is that with the proposed dislocation of the Ezza – Ezillo people from their present base they would have to abandon four primary schools, one health center, one secondary school and a good number of churches for a virgin land devoid of any social amenities.

This is noted in a letter by counsel to the Ezza – Ezillo people, Barrister Uche Wisdom Durueke, to President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, dated March 23, 2009 and entitled: “Plot to use soldiers to forcefully displace about 12,000 Ezza – Ezillo persons from their ancestral abodes in Ezillo Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi State by the Government of Ebonyi State – Appeal to save the Ezza – Ezillo people from oppression”.

The letter reads in part: “Our clients were asked to move into a forest without facilities. There are no houses for resettlement, no schools for the education of their children, no hospital or clinic for their health care, no market for them to buy and sell, no churches nor places of worship, no access road to link them with other towns and communities. In all the decision was to spite them”.
The letter, also, accused Ebonyi state government of alleged plot to use soldiers from the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu to forcefully eject the Ezza – Ezillo people from their homes and farmlands.

“We are informed by our clients that there is presently a plan by the Ebonyi State Government to use soldiers from the 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu to forcefully eject them from their homes and farmlands. Our clients are deeply worried that their lives and properties are in obvious danger and that they are about to lose their lands contrary to the due process of law. The plot to use the Army against our clients is calculated to inflict more harm and humiliations on our clients. It is widely believed that the military action will be soon and swift. In view of the above, on behalf of our clients, therefore, we sincerely appeal to Your Excellency as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed forces to halt every use of the military against our clients. Furthermore, our clients are requesting that your office sets up a committee of experts to visit their area to study the conflict and make unbiased recommendations to the government”.

To buttress the foregoing claims, Solomon Ogbuewu Nwankwo, an indigene of Ezza – Ezillo alleges that, on March 17 this year, 2009 they were forced by soldiers from the 82 division, Nigerian Army, Enugu in the presence of the General Officer Commanding (GOC) to sign a document prepared by Barrister Ali Onwa Ali, chairman of Ishielu council area to the effect that they have accepted Ebonyi State Government’s directive to vacate their ancestral lands for Ezillo people.

Nwankwo, further, alleges that even while he indicated under his name that the signing was under duress he was forced to cancel the form and indicate that he was the one that cancelled it by writing his name. According to him, all these took place after the GOC’s alleged meeting with Governor Elechi.

Narrating his ordeal further, Nwankwo claims that he has received threatening calls from some soldiers since after objecting to the signing of the document. He, also, states that this has made him to relocate to an unknown destination.
The people of Ezza – Ezillo are blaming their current ordeals on a number of factors. According to them, the decision of the governor to displace them from their present homes and farms is in line with the agenda of some forces in the state against the people of Ezza–Ezillo.

According to them, this agenda has been in the form of systematic suppression, oppression, malicious denials and discrimination from any government.

In their SOS to President Yar’Adua, the people cry out: “Till date, no Ezza – Ezillo man has occupied even such a lovely position as a councilor of a ward. The Ezza- Ezillo have been disenfranchised in all elections conducted in Ishielu Local Government Area even when we have the larger population than the Ezillos, and have contributed more to the massive development of the council area. Ezza-Ezillo community and villages were denied water and electricity even though we contributed monies as counterpart funds for their provision, just because the General Manager of Ebonyi State Rural Electrification Project is an Ezillo man. The settlement of a quarrel between two Ezza men in the home of another Ezza man is viewed at as an affront to the authority of the Ezeogo of Ezillo. We cannot even settle ourselves except on the consent of the Ezeogo of Ezillo who often imposes heavy fines on our people”.

Some analysts blame these ordeals on the influence of some Ezillo men on Ebonyi Politics. Some influential men from Ezillo in Ebonyi state political positions include Hon Reginald Onwe (Commissioner for Finance); Hon Gabriel Ede (Member, state House of Assembly); Hon Sunday Omeri (Commissioner, Ebonyi State Independent Electoral Commission); Chief David Egbu (Permanent Secretary); Engineer Princewill Oke (General Manager, Ebonyi State Rural Electrification Board); Chief Joseph Ugbo (Chairman, Board of Internal Revenue).

Also, the people of Ezza – Ezillo allege conspiracy on the part of their council chairman, Barrister Ali Onwa. According to them, Ali obstructed their effort to earn an autonomous community status through a lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Enugu in 2001. The said suit restrained the state government from granting Ezza – Ezillo an autonomous status.

On the other hand, the Ezza – Ezillo people allege that the appointment of Eze Chibueze Agbo, an Ngbo man, provided him with the opportunity to pay the Ezza people back for their long-standing acrimony. This is because the Ezza – Ezillo people and the people of Ngbo have been in a long-standing face-off.

The co-inhabitation of the Ezillo and Ezza people dates back to between late 1920s and early 1930s. During the time in review, Ezillo people invited the people of Ezza – Ezillo to assist them in their war against Ngbo neighbors who were threatening to annihilate them from the surface of the earth.

The assistance of the Ezza people provided the Ezillo people the opportunity to win the war. Following the victory, a covenant was made between both parties to live together and derive the benefit of protecting the Ezillo people against the Ngbo people. Land was allocated to the Ezza people in the manner that they provided a buffer between the Ezillo people and their warring neighbors, Ngbo people.

It will be noted that paragraph 18 of Governor Elechi’s special broadcast seems to portray the Ezza – Ezillos as second-class citizens in Ebonyi state: “Let it be known to all and sundry that the now land into which Ezza- Ezillo people are moving does not, in any way, constitute on autonomous community. The Ezzas there will continue to be known as Ezza – Ezillo and shall not import into their new settlement the names of markets or communities of their ancestral abode. Cultural observances, especially, with regard to new yam festivals, will continue to be observed within the custom and traditions of Ezillo community that is the overall umbrella of the entire place. There is for now, only one traditional ruler for Ezillo community into whose cabinet the Ezza – Ezillo will appoint their representatives. The issue of autonomous community will be looked into only if and when the government decides to review such demands throughout Ebonyi state”.

Will President Yar’Adua listen to appeals of both the people of Ezza-Ezillo and their counsel and save them from imminent dislocation from their roots?


Scripted by: Okechukwu Keshi Ukaegbu.