Akwa Ibom State government has waded into the communal clashes between Ikot Osurua and Ikot Ubo villages in Ikot Ekpene local government area.
It urged the warring communities to sheath their swords and give peace a chance.
The commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Hon. Frank Archibong, who led government’s delegation to the peace meeting with trader rulers of the affected communities made the call at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ikot Ekpene LGA, His Royal Majesty, OkukuUdo Ukut; village heads and village councils of the warring communities.
He condemned the wanton destructions of properties and threat to lives which had caused some residents of the affected villages to flee for safety outside their homes, adding that “it is out of place for communities who had hitherto lived together in peace and harmony to resort to war on issues that could have been resolved on a round table.”
The commissioner reiterated the importance of peace in any society, saying that Ikot Ekpene is one of the strategic LGAs in Akwa Ibom state ,with high level of socio-economic activities, hosting a tertiary institution, the state Polytechnic, “and as such, the two teams should strive for peace as well as create a conducive atmosphere for businesses and developments to thrive.”
In the same vein the deputy governor, who doubles as the chairman of state Boundary Committee, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, has restated the government’s commitment to the sustenance of peace in the state, through timely intervention on boundary and communal crises.
Eyakenyi made the pledge when she played host to the leadership and members of the state House of Assembly Committee on Boundary and Conflict Resolution, at Government House, Uyo.
She said with the current administration’s focus on rural development, it was important to address lingering boundary and communal clashes, for the government’s “Arise Agenda” blueprint to thrive.
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