By Emmanuel Unah

There is hardly a community in Cross River State that could boldly say it has not had one form of strife or violent face-off with its neighbour over disagreement on land issues or other mundane matters.

Resort to violence is one thing that modernity, Christianity and education have not extricated from the psyche of communities in the state who are always quick to settling scores and disagreements with one another through machetes and guns.

Though the state is blessed with thousands of kilometres of landmass stretching through virgin forests, hills, mountains and rivers which any visitor to the state would question when such land would be developed or put to use.

Recently there was palpable tension    between the neighbouring communities of Uyangha and Ojor in  Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State following claims  by Ojor that their Uyangha neighbours are blocking their only access route an allegation denied by Uyangha.

This is the aftermath of a conflict between the two neighbouring communities on Christmas Day in 2017 where many lives were lost and houses razed in the ensuing conflict between the two.

https://newlive.vanguardngr.com/2018/12/fact-check-have-60000-christians-been-killed-in-central-nigeria-since-2001/

Chief Paulinus Ogar, Clan Head of Ojor    fired the first salvo when he made claims that  since the communal conflict between them in 2017, the Uyangha community regularly blocks the only access route that passes though Uyangha to Ojor thereby strangulating their sources of livelihood.

Countering, the Uyangha community said there is nothing of the sort.  The Clan Head of Uyangha,   Chief   Felix Akposi   said he was shocked and confused by the allegation from their neighbours

“Yes,  we had issues with them that generated to a full scale clash in 2017 but that is over now.   Look, we are brothers and sisters, we have cohabited for a long time, my grandmother is   from there. I have relatives there and we intermarry but for them to continue to make such claims is worrisome”.

He said the allegation may be another ploy by their neighbours to invade Uyangha and accordingly   called on the state government to investigate the matter and also station security agents in the area to avert any clash.

The chief explained that after the conflict many  organisations   have waded into the matter to make peace which has been accepted by Uyangha people even though they lost five persons and many houses to the crisis.

“Just go around and see things for yourself ; nobody has blocked or attempted to block the road. The Village Head of Ojor   has my phone number, he has not called   me nor sent me   a text message alleging that any of my subjects has done this or that”.

In November 2018, the palace    of Chief Edward Osim, the Paramount Ruler of Abi local Government Area and father in-law to former President Goodluck Jonathan and those of other members of the Usumutong community were razed by their Ebom neighbours in a communal conflict. The conflict saw three neighbouring communities, Afafanyi, Ediba, Ebom jointly attacking their Usumutong neighbours

The conflict which is a squabble over land has been lingering for many years with the Ediba and Usumutong communities engaging each other in frequent attacks leading to the killing of over a thousand people and destruction of many houses and farm products

The conflict led to the displacement of over three thousand Usumutong people who are taking refuge  in the palace of the Obol Lopol, the King of Ugep and their plight is said to be  pathetic.

On the tail of  the Abi conflict came a three – day battle among four communities in Biase Local Government Area of the state in the first week of December, 2018 Which also claimed many lives and houses. Saturday Vanguard gathered that   the conflict started between the communities of Abanwan and Orugbam where three people were killed when the people of Abanwan reportedly launched attack on their Orugbam neighours .

The conflict then spread to the nearby communities of  Afona. Some people were killed and others left with severe wounds.

Narrating the reason for the three days conflict, a Legal practitioner from the area   who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the crisis was a result of the “decision by Orugbam people to annex some land in other Erei communities.”

He recalled that a few months back,   “Orugbam invaded Ipene community and destroyed houses and when the Police arrested five of the ring leaders and put them in cell to calm the situation, a top government functionary in the state ordered for their release.”

On the Ibini and Afono crisis, our source said the crisis between Orugbam and neigbouring communities is as a result of loyalty to the warring communities of Orugbam and Abanwan He said: “While Ibini supports Abanwan, Afono is supporting Orugbam and when there is problem between Abanwan and Orugbam, Ibini will take side with the former while Afono takes side with the latter.”

At about the same time, communities in Odukpani Local Government Area engaged one anoher in a fierce war leading o the destruction of their villages by communal crisis which took place in the area last week.

The conflict which engulfed the Obom Itiat- Mbiabo ward led to the killing of several persons and   razing of   houses in   villages in the area   including Edere, Erong, Mkpan Oruk, Mbiabo Edere, Etege Ntem, Otong Ediong communities. Mr Okon Asuquo a former Councilor  who represented the   ward in the Odukpani Council  legislature said the conflict started when youths from Ediong village allegedly   fell   a tree in the forest   belonging to Mbiabo Edere and the Mbiabo youths confiscated the chain saw machine   used by the Ediong youths and demanded for compensation which was rejected and the ensuing misunderstanding snowballed into conflict leading to killing and destruction of property.

“The youths of Mbiabo Edere launched an attack on the village of Ediong and killed many people including one of the chiefs, Okon Eyibio Essien and destroyed many houses and from there the conflict spread to villages of   Mkpan Oruk, Ikot Otu, Etege Ntem , Otong Ediong and as I speak many people are hiding  in the bush because of fear” He said the only primary school in the area, Obomitiat Edere primary school, health centres and markets were set ablaze in the crisis. “With the intervention of our Senator, we have agreed to return to our ancestral home and live in peace because we are brothers who have been living peacefully for many years”.

He appealed to the Cross River State government to assist the people with relief materials to rebuild their homes and also provide employment for the youths to keep them busy and reduce poverty which is the cause for the constant conflicts. “Government should set up a standard security post in our community, construct roads, rehabilitate our medical centres and also temper justice with mercy and provide us with relief materials to rebuild our houses”

Senator Gershom Bassey while intervening charged the people, both youths and elders of the various communities to be more tolerant and accommodating of one other and avoid the temptation of engaging in strife each time there is a disagreement.

The  Nko-Mkpani conflict which is the fiercest of them all erupted- in Yakkur Local Government Area in the central senatorial district in 2016-Sophisticated weapons were used in the combat which lasted for man days  leading to the killing of several people including soldiers, pastors, women and children while educational institutions, hospitals and residential houses were set alight. Incidentally, this conflict involved the community of the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Ibok Ette, the Minster for Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani on one hand and that of the former governor of the state, Chief Clement Ebri on the other hand..

Next on its trail came the Inyima , Onyadama conflict in March where women, children, the aged and the entire    houses in Inyima    were    set ablaze. The conflict which has become a recurring decimal was first    fought in 2008    then 2014 and repeated in 2016. The cause of the war according to sources is that an Inyima man was said to have harvested cassava in a disputed portion of land with Onyadama community and since the first outbreak of the conflict many years ago, there have continued to be bad blood and    recurring skirmishes which have kept the two erstwhile sister communities at daggers drawn.

In Obudu where the state governor, Senator Ben Ayade comes from, two communities, Kutia and Okurtong are in serious faceoff over a piece of land. The two villages fought a bitter war in 2017 over the land in dispute and to forestall another outbreak of full blown skirmishes between them, Senator Ben Ayade, the governor convened a meeting of leaders of the two communities in his office to sort matters out.

Soon after the Obudu ‘war’ came the Akparabong – Bendeghe Ekim conflict which also led to the destruction of several lives and property from the two communities who have lived and inter married for many decades.

The Wanikade and  Wanihem neighbours all in Ukele, Yala Local Government Area also took up arms against each other in 2017 and the outcome was massive destruction. . The conflict which raged for four days was only put to rest when soldiers from the Brigadier Ally Batallion in Okuku near Ogoja were drafted to the area to sop hostilities. The police contingent that first went in could not stop the fight because of the high caliber  weapons used in the combat. Needless to say that during those four days many people died, several wounded, farm produce destroyed and houses set ablaze.

Most worrisome in all these conflicts is the fact that some  elites and educated members of these communities actively take part in the fights which are seen as a show of strength and demonstration of  superior prowess when combatants come back with fresh human heads, decapitated from the bodies of “enemy” community members.

The elites buy weapons, army uniforms and and sundry war items for their youths to be used in prosecuting the war. This makes the government seemingly helpless in finding solutions to the conflicts. Senator Liyel Imoke , Former governor of the state usually sacks the chiefs of feuding communities to serve as a deterrent warning, yet, these fights continue.

Senator Ben Ayade is yet to take any drastic measure against these communities which may be the reason for the current high rate of the conflicts