Two lawyers – M. O. Idam and Oko-Ewa Enyim – have appealed to the Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru to review the continued detention of an octogenarian, Pa. Igine, and over 20 other Amasiri indigenes held in connection with the Amasiri-Edda boundary clash in JanuaryIdam and Enyim stressed that sustainable peace in the area would require justice, fairness and adherence to due process.
They urged the governor to use the reconciliation as an opportunity to restore confidence among the affected communities.
Idam, in a September 7 memo addressed to the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice of Ebonyi State, said the prolonged detention of the elderly man and other suspects required urgent reconsideration in the interest of justice.
He argued that criminal proceedings should not become a means of subjecting persons to prolonged hardship, particularly where available facts do not establish a direct or indirect connection between the accused persons and the alleged offences.
The lawyer said he recently discovered that Pa. Igine, whose case he had been advocating, was the same elderly man he knew while growing up in Amaogwu Ndukwe, Amasiri, his maternal home.
According to him, the discovery heightened his concern about the fate of the octogenarian, whom he described as a peaceful man who had lived most of his life without controversy before becoming involved in the legal process arising from the crisis.
Idam said the AG, by virtue of the powers conferred on the office to institute, take over or discontinue criminal proceedings, has a duty to ensure that such powers are exercised in line with justice, fairness and public interest.
He maintained that where evidence does not sufficiently connect an accused person to an alleged offence, continued prosecution should be reconsidered to prevent the criminal justice system from being used as an instrument of hardship.
The lawyer also expressed concern over the detention of more than 20 other Amasiri indigenes at the Abakaliki Correctional Centre, alleging that some of them were arrested as part of measures taken following the boundary dispute.
Also, Enyim, president of Ebonyi South in Diaspora Group, urged the governor to extend the same consideration to those still detained over the crisis.
He argued that criminal accountability must be based on individual responsibility and not collective punishment.
Enyim said while anyone found to have committed an offence during the crisis should face the law, communities should not continue to suffer indefinitely for actions allegedly committed by individuals.
He however commended the governor for receiving the interim report of the Amasiri-Edda Boundary Adjustment and Demarcation Committee and taking steps towards resolving the dispute.
The lawyer praised Nwifuru’s decision to reinstate the traditional rulers of Ndukwe and Ezeke autonomous communities and restore their entitlements, describing the move as a positive step towards reconciliation.
The diaspora group president also called for a broader reconciliation that would address the losses suffered by affected families, including deaths, destruction of property and disruption of livelihoods.
He urged the government to ensure that the ongoing boundary demarcation exercise is conducted transparently and professionally, with both Amasiri and Edda communities respecting the process.