Benue Peace Pact Will Work -Kpera

The Chairman of the Benue State Peace and Conflict Resolution Committee, retired Brig.-Gen. John Atom Kpera, has expressed optimism that the recent peace treaty in Benue will work. The treaty was signed between the Police, MIYETTI Allah and Tiv/Agatu farmers in a bid to end the war between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in Benue. Kpera told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Gboko, near Makurdi that everything that was needed to be done for the peace treaty to succeed had been done. The former Military Governor of Anambra, said he had both the capacity and experience necessary for the job at hand. Kpera challenged those who quarried his competence to handle the crisis to prove their claims before the government that appointed him. NAN recalls that a member of the committee and a second class chief in charge of Gwer West Local Government Council, Chief Daniel Abomtse, had questioned the ability of Kpera to handle such a sensitive job. Abomtse had claimed that Kpera lacked the knowledge of the issues involved in the crisis. However, Kpera, who also served as a Military Governor of old Benue State, said there was no issue involved in the crisis that he was unaware of. He advised those claiming that he was inadequate in terms of capacity to handle the crisis to address their concerns to the Benue State Government that gave him the job. Kpera also denied insinuations that he was working with a factional leader of the MIYETTI Allah association. He said that the leader of the cattle breeders that signed the treaty was known to the inspector general of police. The former military governor explained that Alhaji Bodejo Bello, who is the National President of MIYETTI Allah, is also a member of the DIG. Michael Zuokumor- led Peace Committee in Nasarawa, Taraba and Benue States. Kpera said that the ongoing Tiv/Fulnai crisis would soon come to an end, adding that the cease fire agreement had started yielding positives results. “The crisis has being going on for quite some time now. “It is a very delicate issue that requires a gradual process to achieve the desired peace we all yearn for. “We are in dialogue with the representatives of the Fulani people who have shown enough concern on the crisis and want it to come to an end. “The cease fire agreement signed a week ago has started yielding positive results. “As time progresses, we will sit down and discuss the details of the crisis. “We are going to negotiate in detail all aspects of the crisis. We are full of hope that at the end of the day, peace will reign among the two parties.” He appealed to the warring parties to give peace a chance. “My dear people, there is nothing that can bring us peace if the shooting does not stop. “The peace process initiated so far will succeed only when we stop the shooting. Please give peace a chance. “I understand your predicament. Our people have been at the receiving end of the crisis. “It has been one-sided but we still want peace and that peace we most achieve,” he said. On the ongoing National Conference, Kpera commended the presidency for bringing Nigerians to a roundtable to discuss issues bordering on peace and unity. He, however, prayed that the end result of the conference should not die a natural death like the previous ones. Kpera said further that after 2015, Nigeria would be a big and stronger country, adding that those calling for its break up were enemies of progress.