The monarch made the call yesterday in his palace while briefing journalists on the crisis in Okengwe and Obehira in Okene local government area, where three persons were said to have been confirmed dead and several houses burnt, rendering so many people homeless.
While calling for full compensations to the victims of the mayhem, the traditional ruler said bringing the culprits to justice would stop the recurrent crisis, saying, “because nobody seemed to have been prosecuted by the authority, it seems to them that violence was legal”, adding that the police should fish out the perpetrators and punish them accordingly in the interest of justice.
The monarch also urged the government, in the interest of dousing the tension generated by the incessant killing, maiming and burning of property, to implement the recommendations of the reports made by various committees of inquiry into the Ebira crisis.
The Ohinoyi pointed out that deliberate campaigns against each other in Ebiraland should be stopped forthwith, saying the Ebiras are rich intellectually and economically waiting to be tapped only under a peaceful atmosphere.
He recommended a deliberate programme of rehabilitation, reconstruction and reconciliation by the state government and the police towards reducing in Ebiraland.
His royal majesty charged the Kogi state government to strengthen the state security apparatus at the grassroots to ensure the protection of lives and property of all the people, stressing that the traditional council has resolved to promote reconciliation and confidence among the people and expressed the hope that all stakeholders would co-operate to forestall future recurrence of such crisis.
He called on the media to refrain from sensational reports capable of breaching security.
