By CrossRiverWatch Admin
No fewer than four communities in central Cross River State are currently embroiled in a bitter war over farmlands with three reported dead so far.
In Ikom Local Government Area, the Nnam and Abankang communities are fighting over a small piece of land. Sources say at least three have died – one from Nnam and the other two from Abankang.
Also, houses have been razed in both communities.
The Nnam people claim that the Abankang are settlers who are trying to encroach into a piece of land they were not given.
A Police official (names withheld based on security advise) told CrossRiverWatch that: “I fear for my mother who is currently in the bush. There is some political undertone to this thing too as the mother of the Local Government Chairman is from Abankang and the people feel buoyed by that.”
There are fears the conflict which is decades old may spread to neighboring communities Nlul and Alok.
Soldiers from the Nigerian Army battalion were deployed there but later withdrawn due to poor logistical support.
In Obubra, the atmosphere in the entire Olom land is tensed as Edondon and Ohumuruktet are currently at war.
A senior Local Government official who spoke to CrossRiverWatch on condition of anonymity said that there have been meetings between the Chairman and the law enforcement officials.
The official declined to comment on claims that the Ohumuruktet people had invaded Edondon community under the guise of a peace mission. The official said blame games should be reserved for later as the focus for now, remains a cessation of the war.
Both conflicts began on January 4, 2021 and are over farmlands – a recurring narrative across the State during planting and harvesting seasons for over two decades.
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