The communal war between Obudu people in Cross River State and their Tiv neighbors in Benue State is said to be over 75 years old. Yet these two are very closely interwoven in numerous aspects of their daily lives.
In recent times, they farm together, they intermarry, they buy and sell in the same markets, they drink together and so on and so forth. Most of the artisan jobs like tilling, tilling of the soil, surface well digging, grave digging, in Obudu are done by the Tivs. They dug my late mother’s grave in my village. My surface well that was the only source of water while building my house in Obudu was dug by the Tivs.
Tivs trek from Tsar into nooks and crannies and villages in Obudu to hawk goat meat and bush me. They supply drinks and flour in Obudu. So the question is, why have people so interwoven refused to set aside the differences that continue to make them kill themselves every year?
I am not an expert on the issue which predates my birth, but I know that the cause of the crisis has always been farmlands, and this ongoing war too is about the destruction of farmlands and reprisals. It’s a sensitive matter and I do not want to dabble into the details of what caused the ongoing war between the two neighbors.
What I can say is that, when the war broke out yesterday, two farmers from Abonkib village and Atiekpe village in Obudu, were allegedly killed by the Tivs in their farms and their bodies were said to have been taken away till now.
One of the Tiv war mercenaries was captured alive in the bush with a gun and “charms” and taken to Obudu Police station but was later escorted by Policemen from Obudu division back to Vandeikya. The DPO in Obudu said he was sent to the Vandeikya Police station. (He is the one pictured above.)
Then two Tiv men who were in Obudu town for their usual daily hustle, were accosted by irate youths and brutally beheaded and dismembered, while a third one was rescued by the whiskers at the point of death.
These events have triggered a very dangerous trajectory for revenge and reprisals as it has always been the case, and there are palpable signs that the situation on ground may further deteriorate if nothing is done immediately.
I understand that a few soldiers were sent in from Utanga in Obanlikwu LGA but they haven’t been able to effectively quel the situation as tensions are still high on both sides.
I have also noticed that the peace meeting that was held on Wednesday between the Obudu and Vandeikya Local government chairmen and security representatives, did not involve any State government official. I really don’t know what impact LG Chairmen can do in this sort of matter other than just meeting and writing communiques. I stand to be lectured on that.
In the immediate, methinks that the presence of the military should be increased in the theater of war to dominate the area and quel the hostilities. The Chief of Defence Intelligence who is from Obudu can be consulted on this. In the medium term, the immediate past Deputy Governor of Cross River State, Professor Ivara Esu and his Benue State counterpart, co-chaired a peace and reconciliation committee on this same 75 years old crisis and I know that some work was done. Can those books be opened to see the recommendations and consider those that are still relevant and actionable.
In the long term, can this large expanse of land that is perennially causing these deaths and disruptions be acquired by the government as a buffer zone and used for the construction of whether of a mobile Police barrack or any other civil Police facility that will separate the warring parties? Then the need for continuous community engagement in entrenched peace building cannot be over-emphasized. The two State governments should involve arbitration experts and relevant peace building NGOs to work with the communities and relevant stakeholders in seeing and seeking the long path to peaceful neighborliness.
Yours sincerely,
Citizen Agba Jalingo is the Publisher of CrossRiverWatch and a rights activist, a Cross Riverian, and writes from Lagos.
NB: Opinions expressed in this article are strictly attributable to the author, Agba Jalingo, and do not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.