By Amos Aar
THE warring communities of Mbasombo and Mbaivur in Gwer-East local government area of Benue State have signed a peace agreement to quell three years of hostilities between them.
The agreement was reportedly signed on Thursday at a peace meeting held at the Gwer Traditional Council Hall, Aliade to pave the way for reconciliation, reconstruction and rehabilitation. The signing was done by nine representatives of each of the warring communities and Ter Gwer II, HRH Dominic Akpe, President-General of Masev Development Association, Prof. Vearumun Tarhule, and the Chairman, Gwer local government council, Emmanuel Ortserga,
National Record gathered from Catholic Star, a publication of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi, that the first, second, and third clauses of the agreement dwelt on the ending of hostilities, resettlement, and withdrawal of court cases relating to the disputed land while the fourth, fifth, and six clauses dwelt on demarcation, punishment for violators of the agreement and the constitution of a peace committee to oversee the implementation of the resolutions.
Part of the agreement reads: “That the communal land crisis between us, which has been lingering for three years, is hereby resolved and henceforth we shall live in harmony and peace as we used to do prior to the crisis.
“For avoidance of doubt, we hereby equivocally state that the family of Tse-Nor should feel free to resettle where they had settled prior to the crisis as shown by the Gwer Traditional Council Arbitration Report”.
Both parties agreed to follow the terms of the agreement and vowed to collaborate to expose and punish crisis-enterprises that attempted to instigate violent conflict between them after the pact.
An eleven-member Peace and Reconciliation Committee was formed, with five members from each of the communities, led by a neutral Chairman, Isaiah Gyo, to monitor and report on time violators of the agreement to authorities for prompt, appropriate action to prevent the crisis from resuming.
Speaking shortly after the signing of the peace agreement, HRH Dominic Akpe, Chairman of Gwer Traditional Council, and Prof. Vitalis Vearumun Tarhule, President-General of Masev Development Association, both expressed joy for the eventual reconciliation of the two communities and promised to support the peace restoration process with unwavering vigour, saying that the crisis had harmed Masev’s image as a retrogressive, disunited, and hostile people.
Chief Akpe who sighed with relief at having come up trumps on the crisis, warned that no member of the two communities should proceed with burial on the disputed land until he gives his permission and all court cases relating to the dispute are withdrawn by next week.
Joe Tyungu, Prof. Hyacinth Orbunde and Barrister Timothy Dim, who spoke for Mbasombo and Pa Tarhemba Jinga, Nor Nicholas Demato and Usongo William for Mbaivur shortly after the signing, promised that their communities would abide by the terms of the agreement.
Some of the stakeholders who graced the signing of the peace agreement included Father Terungwa Tor, Peter Hwembe, Chief Umande, Geoffrey Agbatse, Ngunan Imande, Anger kuhe, George Ikpeen, Mueter Ingyenegh, HRH Augustine Tali, Gwer Chairman-elect, Agatha Sewuese Akua and DSP Umar Ibrahim among others.
The peace meeting, which took place on June 9, 2022, was said to have been coordinated by the Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Gwer Branch, Father Terungwa Tor, HRH Dominic Akpe and Prof. Vearumun Tarhule.
