Mr Peter Odey, Deputy Governor of Cross River State, has sued for peace in the conflict between the people of Ijegu, Yache Ward in Yala Local Government Area, and their neighbours in Benue State.
Odey made the appeal on Thursday when he led a delegation to the community where a recent clash led to the death of one person.
NAN reports that on July 26, during plenary in the Cross River House of Assembly, Odey Wonah, the member representing Yala 1 State Constituency, moved a motion for the deployment of security operatives to restore peace in Yache following hostilities over land.
The Cross River deputy governor, in the company of his counterpart from Benue State, Deputy Governor Sam Ode, regretted the needless loss of life while sympathising with the family of the deceased and those who lost property.
He invited the leaders of the affected communities to a meeting in his office to sign a peace accord while advising community members to avoid the conflict zone until the accord is ratified.
“I promise the approval of a security vote to cover the deployment of additional personnel to the communities; this is to assure you of the state government’s commitment to ending hostilities here,” he said.
In his address, Benue State deputy governor, Sam Ode, expressed disappointment over the unfortunate situation between both communities, which he noted have historically coexisted as kin.
He explained that the situation was not a dispute over land ownership but rather an incident stemming from a confrontation between an Ijegu community member in Cross River and his Tiv neighbours who were cultivating on the land.
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