By Ike Uchechukwu

NEW NETIM—RESIDENTS, who fled their homes at New Netim village, Odukpani Qua Clan in Odukpani Local Government Area, Cross River State, in the wake of a renewed commotion in the area, have refused to go back to their homeland for fear of reprisal attacks by a rival faction.

Member representing Calabar Municipality in the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Ntufam Mbora, called an arbitration meeting between the warring factions at Calabar, weekend, urging them to lay down their arms and embrace peace, but the situation was still dicey  even as the parties agreed to observe a truce and submit themselves to the enlarged meeting of the Council of Ejagham nation, headed by retired army officer, Ntufam Pam Ogar.

•Refugees at Apostolic Church, Odukpani Area District.

Findings by NDV showed that some of the fleeing inhabitants have rent houses on the outskirts of Calabar and relocated to Ikot Ekpo, 8 Miles and other places, while few were taken refuge at the Apostolic Church, Odukpani Area District weeks after mayhem erupted.

Factions emerge

When NDV visited the village, it was a shadow of itself, as economic life has been grounded. Our findings also showed that the crisis, which had claimed scores of lives, including property worth millions of naira emanated from a chieftaincy tussle in 2015 after the demise of the village head.

Two factions have emerged, one loyal to Ntufam Raphael Ita, a one-time village head that headed the community in an acting capacity for eight years and Ntufam Ndifon Ejen, a former youth leader.

•Burnt houses and cars at New Netim village.

Dust over certificate of recognition

The polity got heated up when both parties appeared before the State Security Adviser, SSA, and police where Ita presented a certificate of recognition, May 20, 2015 by which he claims to be the village head of New Netim village.

Ntufam Ejen, his rival, raised eyebrows over the purported certification. Ita’s certificate, sighted by NDV, read: “Certificate of Recognition of Ntufam Raphael Okpa Ita as Village Head, New Netim, Qua Clan. It did not specify which of the Qua clan it is under, as a village. In the Southern senatorial district of Cross River, they are different Qua clans, including, Big Qua, Kasuk Qua, Nkonib Qua, Bakoko, Akim Akim and Etakpin.

We don’t know how he got certificate– Paramount ruler

When NDV contacted the paramount ruler of Odukpani local government area, HRM

(Dr) Ekanem Ekanem Umo, he explained that from the letter sent to him by the Odukpani Qua clan, he discovered that one of factional village heads had already acquired a certificate of recognition, which the Odukpani Traditional Rulers Council, TRC, knew nothing about. He explained that before a village head is recognized by government, he is firstly selected by his people (village), and then presented to the clan head, and then the clan head presents him to the Odukpani TRC, headed by a president, the paramount ruler.

I was also dazed- Clan head

Also speaking, the clan of head, Odukpani Qua clan, Ntoe Cyril Omin Okima, asserted that the received correspondences from both factions, but directed both sides to follow due process.

He said: “But I was shocked at a meeting when Chief Raphael Ita presented a certificate dated May 20, while another document dated July 13 was served him as letter of presentation to the village, so this is really conflicting and I cannot comprehend the anomaly,” he said.

House of Assembly, police step in

A chief confided in NDV that the Cross River State House of Assembly and the police have invited the Odukpani Qua people give an account of what happened in the bid to find solution to the crisis. Commenting, Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Ozi-Obeh Jimoh, told NDV that the political class must come to terms and find a lasting solution to the squabble.