Land dispute: No tension in Ebonyi communities — Police

The Police Command in Ebonyi has said that reports of escalation of tension in the land dispute involving Enyigba and Enyibichiri communities in Ikwo and Abakaliki Local Government Areas of the state are not true.

Mrs Loveth Odah, Police Public Relations Officer in the state, told our reporter on Friday in Abakaliki that the command had yet to receive any official report of current escalation of violence in the area.

He also dismissed the alleged tension, described the report as a figment of the imagination of those peddling the rumour.

Oda, however, said that Mr Aliyu Garba, the new commissioner of police in the state, had met with the chairmen of Ikwo, Abakaliki and Izzi local government areas where he harped on the need for peaceful existence among communities in the areas.

Oda said that the meeting was part of engagements by the police boss with leaders and stakeholders of communities experiencing any form of crisis.

She said that the police was determined to ensure that crisis did not erupt in any part of the state, stressing that the command had beefed up security surveillance in all parts of the state.

“Well, I’m not aware of any crisis resulting in deaths from the Enyigba and Enyibichiri communities land dispute.

“But, what I can tell you is that the commissioner of police met with council chairmen from Ikwo, Abakaliki and Izzi during which he emphasised need for communities in the three LGAs to shun all forms of violence and to live in peace with one another.

“The chairmen were told to go and ensure that there is peace in their areas and that the police will not entertain any report of conflict in their various communities.

“After the meeting, we have not heard any report of escalation of tension or killings in these parts of the state, so, I can assure the public that there is relative calm and peace in the area,” Odah said.