The Association of Effium Indigenous Clan Chairmen in Ebonyi State’s Ohaukwu Local Government Area has vowed to oppose Governor Francis Nwifuru’s proposed land demarcation and creation of an autonomous community for non-Ezza residents in Effium, calling the move a violation of ancestral rights and existing peace agreements. The group condemned the state House of Assembly’s approval of the bill, urging Nwifuru to withhold assent to prevent further escalation of tensions.
In a statement signed by Chairman Chief Emmanuel Egbe and Secretary Elom Ocho, the association accused the government of renaming Effium lands with non-native titles and disregarding the 1976 edict on autonomous community creation. They cited the recommendations of a peace committee led by Most Rev. Michael Nnachi Okoro, commissioned by Nwifuru in 2023 to resolve the Effium-Ezza conflict, which they claim the governor has abandoned.
“This bill is dead on arrival! A sojourner cannot be rewarded with an autonomous community on another’s land simply for waging war against his hosts,” the statement read, referencing years of violent clashes between Effium and Ezza-Effium communities. The group highlighted Nwifuru’s initial commitment to implementing Okoro’s committee report, submitted in December 2023, which outlined steps for reconciliation. A subsequent implementation committee chaired by Attorney General Ben Odoh facilitated a March 2024 peace pact endorsed by both factions.
However, the association alleged a sudden reversal in June 2024 when Odoh was replaced by Frank Nchita Ogbuewu as committee head. They rejected Ogbuewu’s revised peace agreement, accusing it of deviating from Okoro’s original findings. “Effium representatives refused to sign this skewed pact,” the statement noted, framing the governor’s shift as a betrayal of earlier promises.
The clan leaders warned of “fierce opposition” to any attempt to carve out autonomous communities for Ezza settlers, vowing to protect Effium’s heritage.
