The Association of Ebonyi State indigenes in China has appealed to different waring communities in the state to eschew violence and embrace peace, saying their worst enemies were those sponsoring the clashes.
Observing that natural communal clashes do not last for more than one month, they noted that the law does not respect anybody who felt he had a monopoly of violence, urging them to sheathe their swords.
The Chairman of the group, Comrade Stanley Emeka-Uzor, an Ambassador of Peace, made the appeal in Abakaliki, on Tuesday, during a meeting with journalists.
Emeka-Uzor noted that the rate of communal crises recorded in some parts of the state was worrisome, stressing that the ugly trend was driving investors out of the state.
He commended the State Government for the massive infrastructural transformation in the state, pointing out that there was a need to continually embrace peace for much development.
Emeka-Uzor said, “We are here for the very fact that the Association of Ebonyi Indigenes in China wants peace in the state. We are here to call on all the warring parties and communities to know that the one who kills his brother is not a strong man. We are here to appeal to the people to, ‘Say No’ to the crises in our state. We are not happy that in various areas of our state, a lot of crises have been going on-killing our brothers, sisters or wives, and children we are not happy that this is going on. So we, living in China, first and foremost, thank the state government for its efforts in making sure that peace is restored. We also thank the security operatives for how far they have gone in curtailing the crises and we also encourage them to do more. We are also happy about how our state has been transformed infrastructurally and in other areas. We are saying that we should continue to build unity and love. The waring communities should, please drop their weapons and let’s come together as one. We here in China are from different Local Government Areas of Ebonyi State; but we don’t discriminate, we do not see ourselves as different people, we do things together and that same love is what we want in Ebonyi. This is because when the state is conducive, we can come home and invest, and other people who are not from Ebonyi can also come and invest but when there is a crisis, nobody will come home and invest. So there is a need, an urgent need, for peace.” Communal crisis cannot last for more than a month and when such happens, you know that somebody somewhere is sponsoring it either for political reasons or for communal reasons, to show the power of supremacy to a weaker community. So security agencies should do more to fish out the perpetrators and bring them to book. The law is not a respecter of any man who is involved in these crises and sponsoring them. Those involved should be arrested and prosecuted accordingly.”