Benue State Government has waded into the protracted conflict between Unyande and Kwenev communities in the Uvir council ward of Guma LGA of the state.
The crisis, which has lasted for over three decades, involves ownership of a river located between the two communities.
It has claimed many lives and disrupted farming activities in the axis.
The State Government restrained the two communities from the disputed River Antse in a bid to find a lasting solution to the crisis and restore peace to the affected areas.
Addressing journalists at the end of a peace meeting with stakeholders from the affected area, held at government house, Makurdi, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security (Internal Affairs), Chief Joseph Har, said an intelligence report indicated that the crisis has the potential of escalating into a full blown communal crisis.
He maintained that the decision for the people of the two communities to stay off the river was to prevent possible escalation.
“The State Government has ordered the people of Unyande and Kwenev communities to stay clear of the embattled River Antse following an intelligence report received from the area.
“The Unyande people who are Iyharev by dialect while Kwenev are Ngongov are fighting over ownership of River Antse. The ownership fight had claimed many lives over the years.
“Therefore, we have decided to invite the Traditional Rulers in the area, council Chairman, the State Assembly member and other critical stakeholders from the area to this meeting.
“Government has ordered that nobody from Unyande and Kwenev should go close to the River Antse until they hear from appropriate authorities. We will reconvene again.
“This administration has zero tolerance for communal crises. So we want to stop it before it begins. If anyone goes ahead to do anything that may lead to the breakdown of law and order we will go after the person”, Har stated.
The Ter Guma, HRH Dennis Shemberga commended the Government for its prompt intervention in the lingering crisis, saying this would prevent the crisis into full blown communal war between Iyharev and Ngongov.
Chief Shemberga stressed that the communities were fighting over the ownership of the river because of the large quantity of fishes in it, the fertile land around its banks which is usually used for dry season farming, among others.
He further said that the two communities had approached the court but the traditional rulers withdrew the case to settle them as brothers who would forever share boundary with each other, revealing that the dispute started over 30 years ago and has claimed many lives.
Also speaking, the Caretaker Chairman for Guma LGA, Mr Simon Unongo noted that despite the lingering crisis between the two communities over the ownership of the river, the Council was enjoying relative peace.
Mr Unongo said many IDPs from Udei, Tse Torkula, Yongbo, among others, have since returned to their farms following the intervention of the State Government.
On his part, the member representing Guma 1 State Constituency, Mr Terwase Uche, said that the Assembly was not considering enacting legislation over such issues because each community has its own peculiarity.
Mr Uche said it was better for the communities to find ways of resolving issues themselves without necessarily using the laws on them as they would continue to live together after the crisis.
Benue govt places embargo on River Antse over lingering communal conflict