THE JANUARY 2006 INVASION: OFFICIAL FINDINGS OF THE JUDICIAL COMMISSION OF INQUIRY
Following the outbreak of violence in January 2006, His Excellency Mr. Donald Duke constituted the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Hostilities between Ebom and Ebijakara Communities in Abi Local Government Area, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Justice Sylvester A. Obi (Rtd). The official Report of the Commission, submitted in May 2006, established findings that dismantle Ebijakara’s narrative:
JANUARY 2006 CHRONOLOGY
10 JAN 2006: Minor night brawl involving youths (assault on N.O. Ikongho).
11 JAN 2006: EBIJAKARA LAUNCHES FIRST STRIKE:
• Invades Ebom; burns four houses (witnessed by Council Chair)
• Ambushes and butchers innocent farmers in the fields
• MURDERS PEACEMAKERS: Shoots Egbe Etta & Godwin Enyi (Paris)
• Beheads Customary Court President, Chief Reuben Okiteson
12-14 JAN: Ebom under armed siege; 34 indigenes killed (infants/women).
15 JAN 2006: Mobile Police withdraw without reinforcement; Ebom mounts fierce defensive action; Ebijakara militia routed.
A. Ebijakara Struck First on 11th January 2006
The Commission’s Report (Chapter Three, Section 3.1) recorded that following the youth scuffle on 10th January:
“…the youths of Ebijakara Community who in retaliation, launched an attack on the Ebom Community on the morning of 11th January, 2006… as at the time the Chairman of Abi Local Government Council visited the two communities on the morning of 11th January 2006, only about four burnt houses were seen, all belonging to the Ebom Community and none on the side of Ebijakara.”
B. The Cold-Blooded Murder of Ebom Peacemakers
The Commission found that when Ebom community leaders sought dialogue, Ebijakara met them with gunfire:
● The Ward Chairman of the PDP (Mr. Sudy Okpa Bassey) led an unarmed delegation to plead for peace on the morning of 11th January. Ebijakara commanders opened fire, instantly murdering Egbe Etta, an unarmed elder accompanying him.
● Another peace emissary, Godwin Enyi Muze (alias Paris), was shot dead on the spot.
● The respected President of the Ebom Customary Court, Chief Reuben Okiteson refused to run, insisting on meeting the Ebijakara chiefs to stop the fighting; he was captured, matcheted, and beheaded on the direct orders of Ebijakara commanders.
● Innocent farmers were butchered in their holdings. In total, Ebom suffered 34 confirmed deaths, including nursing infants (Master Isaac Enyi, 2 years; Master Daniel Okpata, 5 years) and elderly women (Madam Elizah Enyiza, 65 years). Over 150 Ebom family houses were razed.
C. The Macabre Shrine and Ritual Killings at Ebijakara
During its locus inspection of Ebijakara on 9th March 2006, the Judicial Commission made a horrifying discovery (Chapter Two, Section 2.1):
“…the Commission saw a shrine belonging to Ebijakara and built at the foot of the Hilltop where several headless and unidentified corpses were found. It is the Commission’s considered opinion that ritual killings were going on at Ebijakara even prior to the incident of the full-blown hostilities between 11th January, 2006 to 15th January, 2006.”
The Commission confirmed that Ebijakara was directly responsible for the abduction and ritual sacrifice of Pastor Manasseh Ekpe of Afafanyi Community in 2005. It is on official record before the Bahumono Traditional Council that Ebijakara formally paid a traditional fine of ₦250,000.00 to Afafanyi Community as customary restitution for this heinous crime.
D. The Ebom Defensive Action
It was this savagery—the decapitation of our court president, the execution of our peace envoys, the sacrifice of our children, and the burning of our homes—that compelled Ebom youths to mobilize in fierce self-defence between 12th and 15th January 2006 to prevent total extermination. When the Mobile Police unit stationed in the corridor withdrew on Sunday, 15th January, the Ebijakara militia collapsed, and their people vacated the land to seek refuge among neighbouring communities.
SUBSEQUENT AGGRESSIONS AND FAILED LEGAL MANOEUVRES (2006–2026)
Following their self-inflicted displacement in January 2006, Ebijakara has systematically undermined every peace initiative:
● The Mercenary Invasion of 4th December 2006: Barely seven months after the Judicial Commission submitted its report, an armed Ebijakara militia invaded Ebom, killing nearly 30 persons. Thanks to rapid action by Council Chairman Hon. Eko Atu and the Police, over 15 hired mercenaries and their juju priest were arrested with firearms and charms whilst fleeing.
● Repeated Military Raids (2018–2019): Ebijakara mounted heavily armed attacks on Ebom on 25th October 2018, 14th November 2018, 15th November 2018, 24th November 2018, and 19th December 2019, inflicting continuous casualties.
● Frivolous Contempt Litigations (Suit No. HUG/49/2010): Ebijakara dragged 51 prominent Ebom sons, daughters, and chiefs before the High Court of Cross River State, Ugep Division, seeking committal orders on fabricated contempt charges. In 2014, the High Court decisively dismissed their suits for utter want of substance.
● Rejection of Government Resettlement Plans (2013): On 14th September 2013, His Excellency Governor Liyel Imoke visited the conflict site accompanied by local leaders. Seeing the absolute devastation and the danger of renewed war, Governor Imoke offered to relocate and resettle Ebijakara on secure alternative land outside the corridor. Ebijakara flatly rejected the Governor’s offer, demanding nothing short of immediate contiguity with Ebom.
AUTHORITATIVE PRONOUNCEMENTS OF STATE EXECUTIVES AND THE JUDICIARY
The unviability of forcing Ebom and Ebijakara back into residential contiguity is a conclusion reached by three successive Governors of Cross River State and the State Judiciary:
● Governor Donald Duke (Town Hall Presentation “Know the Truth”): Governor Duke presented colonial maps demonstrating that Ebom was the sole original settlement on the land, pointing out that British records showed Ebom surrounded by its traditional neighbours, whilst Aberiba possessed no external boundaries because they were internal settlers.
● Governor Liyel Imoke (Executive On-Site Finding, September 2013): Having inspected the ruins of the conflict, Governor Imoke stated firmly at Usumutong: “It is impossible for Ebijakara to live in proximity with Ebom again if the desired peace move should be achieved and maintained.”
● Justice Michael Edem (Former Chief Judge of Cross River State): Presiding over the dispute at the High Court of Cross River State (Ugep Judicial Division), Justice Michael Edem declared in open court in the presence of the Paramount Ruler of Abi:
“It is impossible for two communities with different governments or authorities to live together… It is unreasonable for Ebijakara to return back to the land they have vacated because of conflict of war since 2006.”
● The Paramount Ruler of Abi LGA: His Royal Highness, Ovai Elder Solomon Osim Edward, formally advised the State Government that the only sustainable path to peace is the relocation of Ebijakara to a separate, peaceful settlement.
Stay tuned for the concluding part!
Ofem Irem Okpokpo is a Cross Riverian, and writes from Ebom, Abi LGA.
Note: opinion expressed in this article is strictly attributed to the author Ofem Irem Okpokpo and does not represent the opinion of CrossRiverWatch or any other organization the author works for/with.
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