Onyadama vs. Enyima Crisis: State Government Directs Communities To Immediately Evacuate Disputed Land

By Jonathan Ugbal; Government House Correspondent

The government of Cross River State has directed the Onyadama and Enyima communities of Obubra and Yakurr local government areas to evacuate the disputed land between the two communities which led to a communal crisis recently.

“Nobody from Onyadama or Enyima goes into that land until the Boundary Commission comes in and does its job. All of you must evacuate that land and it will remain vacated until this issue is resolved” said the State Security Adviser Jude Ngaji, Monday at the end of a peace session in his office in Calabar where representatives of both communities were in attendance.

The Crisis which CrossRiverWatch gathered led to the loss of several lives including a blind woman who was shot in the head, Ngaji said will probably be the last as the current administration led by Governor Ben Ayade was poised to bring an end to the menace that according to the chiefs, has lingered for decades.

Ngaji appealed to the conscience of the communities wondering why people who live less than 3 kilometres apart and inter marry will allow arguments over land degenerate into a war when according to him, “you can even settle this by calling family meeting.”

Furthermore, he urged both communities to be ready to accept peace as the government will conclude the boundary demarcation which will only serve as a palliative measure if they were not ready to stop fighting themselves.

“You accused the state government of killing you people by not acting, so government will come but peace must come from you people. This problem is like cancer, you may put a plaster over it and it looks good but the problem is inside” he said, adding that, “It is not about strength, the quantity of bullets you have or number of warriors, it is about God and the love of mankind.”

“All this land issue is about ego. We are not going to allow anything of this nature to happen again, it is barbaric and it is bestial” Ngaji said, warning that anyone caught in the land under dispute will face the full wrath of the law.

Earlier, the peace session which had in attendance the Chairmen of Obubra and Yakurr local government areas, Kieran Ufam and Ikpi Akpama respectively saw the traditional leaders of both communities exhaust themselves on issues regarding the war, with all agreeing that they want peace.

Also in the meeting were, the Obol Lopon of Ugep, Obol Mkpama Eteng, the overall head of Adun clan, Eval Patrick, Special Advisers on conflict resolutions and community relations to Governor Ben Ayade, Augustine Ugar and Signor Idiege respectively and several other chiefs, youths and political leaders from both communities.