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CALLING ALL KALABARIS FUND RAISING
I am sure you feel saddened, just as I do about the events, which have since December 2000, engulfed the Kalabari Kingdom into violence and bloodshed. The violence started with the neighbouring and brotherly communities of Billed and Ke on 30/31 December and soon spread to other Kalabari communities of Elem Krakrama, Sangama, Dabara and Elem Kalabari.
Whole communities have been sacked, burnt and completely destroyed and by the date of this letter, eighty-four corpses have reportedly been buried in Ke alone, with many more still to be buried. Similar heavy casualty rates have been reported in the other Kalabari communities mentioned earlier.
Thousands of refugees who had earlier fled into the mangrove swamps are now streaming into various other Kalabari communities, with no shelter, food and other necessities of life.
I am informed that the Government, security agencies and a recently established Joint Kalabari Chiefs Committee on the conflict, are working hard and collaborating to establish the immediate and remote causes of the conflict. But it behoves us, the KALABARI IBI KOBIRI, as authentic leadership of the Kalabari people, to provide succour and rehabilitation to the individuals and communities that have suffered immense loses in life and property, as a result of this senseless conflict.
Whole communities need to be fed, re-settled, rehabilitated, rebuilt and re-invigorated psychologically to resume normal life. Also, as leaders we need to pacify frayed nerves and to do so we have to consider sending peace missions to the affected communities who have lived for nearly a thousand years as good neighbours, brothers and friends.
The first objective of our endeavour ought to be the rehabilitation phase, which inevitably, requires a lot of funds. In response to the advice of members of the Executive Council, and in my capacity as chairman of the Kalabari Ibi Kobiri (KIK), I have the privilege and honour of requesting you to be part of a Fund Raising Committee. This committee already has the following as members in Nigeria:
I have urged members of the committee to please use their best endeavours and initiatives to organise appropriate fund raising exercises in order to raise the needed funds which is estimated about three hundred million naira (=N=300m), for the rehabilitation of the victims and communities of the conflict.
This being the biggest single tragedy that had befallen the Kalabari in this decade, the Kalabai Ibi Kobiri is calling on all sons and daughters at home and in the Diaspora to give voluntarily for the rehabilitation of the victims of this tragedy. Donors from abroad should direct their donations to Mr. Dennis Amachree, Plot 90, Ajose Adeogun Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria. Email notification – dennis.amachree@halliburton.com Western Union money transfer will be the best means of remission.
I have no doubt that your patriotic fervour, the sympathy and compassion you feel for the victims of this unfortunate development which has befallen the Kalabaris, will gear you into immediate action to answer the call of the Kalabari nation. I count on your sincere co-operation throughout this endeavour.
Signed. Chief A. K. Horsfall SE-KURO of Kalabari and Chairman, Kalabari Ibi Kobiri
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