By CrossRiverWatch Admin
The Clan Head of Usumotong Community in Abi local government area of Cross River State, HRH Chief Stephen Eremi, says reports that his people beheaded two persons from neighbouring Ebom Community in the same area, are false.
Eremi rather alleged the two beheaded persons were from Usumutong, and were killed by the Ebom people and made to look like it was them that were the aggressors. He said the names of the deceased were Nkanu Okpa Nkanu and Ubi Honest Ubi.
On Sunday, the Village Head of Ebom, Chief Sunday Obite, had alleged that a father and son were killed and beheaded by people from Usumutong, who ambushed them while they were in their farm on Saturday.
Obite had said the names of the victims who were father and son, were Oti Ato and Sunday respectively.
But addressing reporters in Calabar on Wednesday, Eremi said it was false, alleging that the Ebom people were the troublemakers.
According to him the Ebom Community had almost obliterated another neighbouring community, Ebijakara and they had harboured those displaced from Ebijakara, which seems to be the reason for them being an object of attack.
According to The Nation Newspaper said they have been suffering various unprovoked attacks from the Ebom community over time, which had led to the killing of the Usumutong people.
“We have no problem with them. We have been very friendly. We had a land case over 30 years ago but we resolved ourselves. After our own, they went to Ebijakara. They have sacked and destroyed Ebijakara. Majority of the Ebijakara people are in Usumoutong. We have harboured them and that has been our crime against the Ebom people.
He alleged, “They have been attacking us frequently. Even until recently, last year precisely October, when the Ebom people kidnapped two of our boys, when there was no quarrel, but that Ebikakara crossed their boundary in search of firewood. Is it enough reason for you to go and abduct Usomutong people because they are living in Usumutong. We are not fighting for anything.
“They also attacked Usumutong in December and destroyed a lot of houses. After that, we had some relief and government gave us security and soldiers were there. Even in the presence of the soldiers, they had made series of attempts to attack us but the soldiers repelled them. After that attack, they abducted one of our sons. In fact the soldiers helped us to bring the corpse back beheaded.
“They went to our secondary school in March they were looking for virgin blood and slaughtered a woman. On this particular case on the 13th July that caused that publication, they entered the bush again, knowing fully well they had prepared for another war, but they do that hiding what they did and attacked us. We saw them and reported to the army before the army could go there to patrol the road, the army can attest that they heard gunshots and people were scattered and at the end of the day, two of our people were missing. It is the same people one of them 55 years and the other 37 years that had been beheaded. They beheaded them. So the people beheaded are our sons. They are not Ebom people. The names of the people are Nkanu Okpa Nkanu and Ubi Honest Ubi. They killed them and claimed the bodies and the heads are not there. They beheaded them and took the bodies, claiming them.
“There is an attempt for them to attack us again because they do that under pretext. They have told us they are coming to burn the remaining houses. They say they don’t want to hear the name Ebijakara. They want to extinguish us the way they extinguished Ebijakara. We are calling on the government to come to the aid of Bahumono people. Let them resettle Ebijakara so we will have peace. Without the resettlement of Ebijakara, something may happen and when it happens they will say it is Usumutong people, whereas we are innocent. So there has been a series of events happening masterminded by the Ebom people. they are the problem. Usumutong is a peace loving community,” Eremi said.
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