Soldiers Rape Ebonyi Women

Ezza-Ezillo people of Ebonyi state, at war with her sister Ezillo community, cry out against forceful eviction from their ancestral homes, as well as intimidation and rape of their women by soldiers deployed to the area for peace keeping.
By: Uba Aham

At the last count, five women have allegedly been sexually molested by soldiers deployed to restore peace between the two warring neighboring communities of Ezillo and Ezza-Ezillo in Ebonyi state.

The soldiers were said to have, for the past six months now, barricaded all the roads leading to Ezza-Ezillo section of the community, sexually molesting women of the area, and destroying the people’s livestock and economic crops.

Mrs. Mary Ugoama, one of the rape victims, in an interview, lamented that the soldiers used to lay ambush for the women inside their farmlands, forcing them to uproot their farm crops and, subsequently, destroying the crops.

“Recently, the soldiers who are supposed to make peace between us and our Ezillo neighbors resorted to sexually abusing us. They don’t allow us get back to our farmlands; they kill and feast on our livestock. They prevent our children and wards from going to school. Some of the soldiers raped and compelled us inside our farmlands to remove the crops we had planted”, Mrs. Ugoama cried out.

Part of the allegation against the peace-keeping soldiers is that Ezza-Ezillo indigenes are not allowed access to their homes and farmlands whereas their Ezillo counterparts enjoy free movement.

It would be recalled that the twin communities of Ezza-Ezillo and Ezillo have been at war since last year, May 9, following a minor disagreement that ensued between an Ezillo youth and his Ezza-Ezillo counterpart concerning the citing of a business centre in the Ezaa-Ezillo territory. The following day, the disagreement which could have passed for a slight misunderstanding between the kinsmen degenerated into a wave of unprecedented attacks by the Ezillos against their Ezza–Ezillo brethren.

The attendant mayhem witnessed wanton killings, burning down of houses, as well as destruction of farm lands. Ostensibly in self defense, the people of Ezza–Ezillo retaliated, and the consequence, which continues to haunt the area till date, was a bloody communal conflict between the brother communities.

This rift over a business location by the Ezillo youth contrary to the directive of the leadership of Ezza-Ezillo Market (Eke Umuezekoha) was, of course, the immediate cause of the bloody encounters. The remote cause is, rather, founded on the tradition of origin of the Ezza-Ezillos who, it was learnt, came into their present area of occupation, called Umuezeoka-Ezza and Umuezokoha-Ezza, over 70 years ago on the invitation of Ezillo people.

In that era of inter-tribal wars and quest for territorial expansion, the Ezillos, it was learnt, invited the Ezzas to help them in warding off their powerful Ngbo and Okpoto neighbors who were on the verge of annihilating them, with a view to taking over their lands and bringing them under total control.

It was on the discovery that the magnitude of the war was such that would not require participation of the entire Ezza stock, located in Onueke, present Ezza South council area of the state, that the people unanimously sent their Umuezeoka and Umuezekoha-Ezzas to assist the Ezillos in routing their Ngbo and Okpoto assailants.

It has to be noted that the eventual involvement of the Ezzas followed an agreement to the effect that after the war, the Ezza warriors would not return back to Onueke, but would unobtrusively settle in their present areas of abode, that is, the Ebonyi River side of Abakiliki. And true to the agreement, the Ezza mercenaries, after the war, settled in the agreed area and, subsequently, acted as a shield to the Ezzillos over their Ngbo and Okpoto assailants.

And the duo had, since then, cohabited until the outbreak of the hostilities that tore them apart.

Incidentally, the intervention of Chief Martin Elechi government in the blood-chilling conflicts, particularly, altered this communal existence of Ezza-Ezillo. Elechi government had, in a public broadcast on October 2 of last year, directed the people to vacate their ancestral homes and farmlands, and move into a completely barren location called ‘Egu Echara’. According to the Ezzas, numbering over 12,000, this ‘Egu Echara’ piece of land is not only small, but presently occupied by the Ezillo and Ngbo people.

“In Egu Echara, there are no houses for re-settlement, no schools for our children, no hospital or clinic for our health needs, no play grounds for our children, no market for us to buy and sell our wares, no churches to worship our God, no portable water, no access roads and so on”, the Ezzas lamented.

As a matter of fact, Governor Elechi’s pronouncement followed a report of a peace committee, headed by Eze Chibueze Agbo, traditional ruler Ezzamgbo community. The membership of Eze Agbo committee, set up to inquire into the crisis, included Ambassador Icha Ituma, Dr. Offia Nwali, Chief Chris Nwankwo, Rev. Fr. John Odey, Eze John Oge, Chief James Alobu, Eze Martin Nweke, Chief Okoro Alochi, Chief Nwafor Echie and Chief Francis Eze Igwe among others.

Incessantly harassed by both the soldiers and Elechi government to vacate their abodes and farmlands for the forest, Ezza-Ezillos, in April this year, sought redress in the law court. The suit, filed before an Abakiliki High Court on their behalf by their counsel, Uche Wisdom Durueke of DURUEKE’S LAW FIRM, 12 Mbaise Road, Owerri-Imo State, has Governor Elechi, the state’s Commissioner for Works and Transport, Surveyor-General and Eze as defendants. The plaintiffs, suing on behalf of themselves and Umuezoka-Ezza and Umuezokoha-Ezza of Ezza-Ezillo in Ishielu Local Government Area, included Chief Paul Ogbule, James Nwali, Augustine Egbe and Jonathan Omena.

The suit, numbered HAB21/2009, among other things, seeks an order of perpetual injunction restraining Governor Elechi by himself, his commissioners, assistants, officers, servants, workmen, agents, representatives or successor from relocating the Ezzas or moving the Ezzas out of their present abodes and farmlands to ‘Egu Echara’ or anywhere else as contained the infamous broadcast of October 2 last year.
The suit, equally, seeks the court’s declaration that the governor’s directive to the effect that the Ezza-Ezillos should relocate from their ancestral homes and farmlands is wrong, unfair, inhuman, unjust, unlawful, illegal and, therefore, null and void. Part of the prayers of the Ezza-Ezillos include a declaration that the report of Eze Agbo’s Peace Committee in respect of the crisis is not binding in law, and that the recommendations were made without giving them equal opportunity to present their case before the committee like their Ezillo neighbors.

Another relief being sought by the community is an order of perpetual injunction restraining Elechi government from asking or insisting on implementing their planned eviction.

Understandably, the constitution of Eze Agbo’s Peace Committee did not go down well with the Ezza-Ezillo people, who contended that the outcome of the committee’s assignment would, naturally, tilt against them. The contention of the people was that Eze Agbo, being an Ngbo man, would not be objective enough as to dispense justice in the matter. Similarly, Ambassador Icha Ituma, himself an Ngbo element, and, indeed, many other members of the Peace Committee allegedly had sympathies for the Ezillos against the Ezza-Ezillos. The Ngbos are, understandably, sworn enemies of Ezza-Ezillos because of the latter’s acceptance to help the Ezillos in defeating them in warfare.

Giving credence to their fears, the Ezza-Ezillos queried the rationale behind the Peace Committee’s hurried submission of its interim report to Governor Elechi even when presentations before it had not been concluded.

For instance, the Ezza-Ezillos nominated a six-man delegation to represent them before the Peace Committee, but the delegates, it was alleged, were intimidated and harassed by Ezillo youths, such that four of them discontinued their attendance at the committee’s peace and reconciliation sittings. The two other delegates who struggled to make presentations reportedly did so at the risk of losing their lives, and, as such, they could not effectively represent their people in the meetings.
It was as a result of the intimidation of her delegates that Ezza-Ezillo community petitioned the Peace Committee and Elechi government to shift the venue from Ishielu council headquarters to Abakiliki, the state’s Capital Territory, at least, considered as a neutral place. But the Ezzas told the magazine that both Governor Elechi and Eze Agbo’s Peace Committee snubbed their request, and went ahead with the Ishielu venue.

To add insult to the injury of the Ezzas, one of them, Sylvanus Nwonu, was arrested and detained in the presence of Governor Elechi and the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Barrister Augustine Nwankwoegu, on the day and place of the inauguration of Eze Agbo’s Peace Committee.

Even at that, the Ezzas, in the suit, contend that the majority of the five sub-committees of Eze Agbo’s Peace Committee never recommended their re-location, adding that neither Elechi government nor the committee itself made any attempt to include women or hear their voices in the so-called peace process. The suit argues that this non-involvement of women was a big flaw, as women are known for their neutrality in issues of conflict of this nature.

Aside the petition to President Yar’Adua on the alleged intimidation and sexual harassment of Ezza-Ezillo women, the community has, also, sent Save Our Soul (SOS) messages to several quarters on the communal crisis.

One of such petitions, signed by their counsel, Uche Wisdom Durueke, dated March 23, 2009, was copied to the President of the Senate, Federal House of Representatives Speaker, and Human Rights Commission. THEWEEK learnt that the Senate is currently looking into the petition, with a view to making necessary recommendations on the conflict.

Meanwhile, the Ezillos have joined issues in court with their Ezza-Ezillo brethren, but hearing is yet to be fixed in the matter by the state judiciary.
Though several efforts by THEWEEK to speak to Army authorities in the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu proved abortive, a highly-placed source at the Division revealed that authorities of the Force are yet to be briefed on the allegations of sexual harassment of Ezza-Ezillo women by soldiers.

“This notwithstanding, the Division will try to investigate the claims, with a view to finding out their veracity or otherwise”, the source which pleaded anonymity offered.

How will the Ezillo, Ezza-Ezillo war end? Did Governor Elechi stir the hornet’s nest by hastily ordering the eviction of the Ezzas from the ancestral homes and farmlands? Will peace ever return to the hitherto sister communities?
The answers to these posers, certainly, lie in the womb of time.

FROM THEWEEK MAGAZINE, PUBLISHED IN NIGERIA.