Before 2016 Lewe and Bomu communities in Gokana local government area of Rivers state lived like good neighbors without any known rancor.
But no one knew that what started as a mere disagreement between two businessmen from both communities would today leave the communities in a devastated condition.
For about five years, several lives were lost, properties destroyed and economic activities completely crippled with residents fleeing and leaving the area deserted.
A community leader from Lewe community Field Nkor said the amount of damages done to the communities during the crisis was very devastating.
He said “House were burnt including my own. People were killed”
The paramount ruler of Lewe community His Royal Highness, Sidney Lebaton recounted how the traditional institutions were chased out of the communities at the heat of the crisis.
“In that same year, some unscrupulous element chased the traditional rulers thereby making both communities ungovernable, so when the crises happened between the illegal bongery thereabout, the chiefs intervened”, he said.
The paramount ruler of Bomu community His Royal Highness His Royal Highness Benedict Tenalo on his part gave a hint on what started the crisis between the two communities.
“During my last tenure that is when the crises started, it has been like that till part of this year when I took over, but it all started from some cult guys”.
The women were also not left out in the crisis as they appeared to have borne more of the brunt of the clashes.
A woman leader in Bomu community Chief Justina Lebera said the women were not allowed to farm due to fear.
She said “some of our farms, because of this crises we’ve not been able to plant anything there, some we can’t reach because of fear of death because surely we were living in a way that when our neighboring communities see us we become terror and vice versa”.
In what appeared to be a marching Governor Nyesom had during one of his visits to Gokana local government area earlier in 2020 directed the two communities to resolve the crisis or have him build a mortuary in the area.
On assumption of office in June 2021 the Gokana council Chairman Confidence Deko commenced steps to resolving the crisis by setting up a peace and reconciliation committee with a mandate to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
Speaking about the step taken, Deko said “One of the recommendations they made was that we ensure we stay on track with the peace process to ensure they are able to live in peace.
“And that was exactly what we did through the sanitation we jointly carried out together by both communities and it was massive.
“So far we are still on it and we are committed to it truthfully, and when they see how we have handled the situation, they listen to us.
The implementation of the recommendations of the peace and reconciliation committee seem to have helped in resolving the years of the crisis that existed between the two communities.
This led to an exchange of visits between the two communities led by their traditional rulers as part of an effort to entrench the peace that had started existing between them.
The Paramount ruler of Lewe therefore called on everyone to “accept the peace that has been brought by the executive chairman of council”.
A youth leader in the Bomu community who could not contain his joy thanked the authorities for facilitating the peace process.
“I am happy with the peace that just came up between Lewe and Bomu, I remember during the crises you can’t sleep with your two eyes closed, we were always in trouble here and there, starvation and all the rest, but today I thank God that there is peace between Bomu and Lewe, we can now travel to both communities without security, I thank the government and any other body that ensured that peace comes to the both communities”.
As the community now looks like a shadow of itself, stakeholders are appealing to state and local governments to help them in rebuilding the communities by fixing the schools, markets, electric poles, amongst others that were destroyed during the crisis.
