Member representing Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu Federal Constituency, Dr Francis Ottah Agbo, has appealed to the Effiom and Ezza people living on the borders of Benue and Ebonyi states to shield their swords and give peace a chance.
A statement issued yesterday in Abuja by the lawmaker’s media aide, Andrew Agbese, said he made the appeal when he visited some IDPs camps in Ado Local Government Area of Benue State where hundreds of people displaced by the crisis are currently taking refuge.
Dr Ottah harped on the need for genuine forgiveness and reconciliation among the warring communities, saying, it is the only way to ensure lasting peace.
“What gives peace is the peoples’ shared value and their sheer determination to live in peace as one people! So, unless Effiom/Ezza people, especially the war lords, resolve to live in harmony and forgive one another, when you return to your homes, you will still exude hatred and attack yourselves,” he said.
The lawmaker made cash donations to the IDPs during the visits and promised to make presentations on the floor of the House to press for the intervention of National Emergency Agency (NEMA) in view of the humanitarian situation in Ado.
One of the Youth leaders of the Ezza community in Benue, Mr. Igwe Chukwuma, thanked the lawmaker for the visit, saying it would go a long way in assisting the people to pick up the pieces of their lives before they return to their respective communities.
