Community Decries Attacks

Unprovoked incessant attacks on a fishing community, Ntan Obu in Odukpani local Government Area of Cross River State have left them with no option than to cry out for help from the state and federal authorities.

Professor Edet Anam, spokesman for the community, said the people of Ikpanya in Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom with whom they had coexisted peacefully on separate sides of the Cross River, on  9 February invaded their community, leaving a trail of destruction and death.

“Before the 9th day of February, 2010, we had peacefully coexisted with a village called Ikpanya, on the other side of the river which belong to Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, but on that day, Ikpanya people without any iota of provocation broke the legendary peaceful coexistence by attacking our community,” he said.

According to him, the attacks have persisted since then.

Professor Anam, who was flanked by several elders and youths from the area said the unprovoked attacks first started at a point called Ekwen in the Eniong Creek. “Our people who were returning from Itu market were attacked and their boat and outboard engine seized, their belongings looted and were eventually abandoned on the river bank.”

He said, again on 16 February, 2010 the Ntan Obu people were invited for a peace talk at Ikpa in Ibiono Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, but while the people of Ntan Obu were at the meeting, their homes were invaded by the Ikpanya people who refused to attend the meeting.

“While we were at Ikpa, Ikpanya people went and attacked our village, set houses on fire, razed the buildings, plundered our property, raped our women and desecrated the graves of our parents,” Prof Anam told P.M.NEWS.

He said during the attack, Effiom Inyang was killed and beheaded while his body was taken to Ikpanya where it was decapitated.

The incident, Prof Anam said, led to the visit of the Cross River State deputy governor and his Akwa Ibom State counterpart.

“But in spite of the presence of the two deputy governors, Ikpanya people descended on Ntan Obu Village with guns and machetes to attack us but were only repelled by the mobile policemen that came with the two deputy governors,” he said.

The people of Ntan Obu, Professor Anam said, are however surprised that even with the visit of the two deputy governors, during which the Akwa Ibom State deputy, Mr Ekpo Otu, condemned the attack in no uncertain language, nothing is being done to resettle the people.

“Naturally, one would have thought that the Cross River State deputy Governor would have briefed the governor on the incident during his visit and the ruin he saw in our village, but we have since not heard anything from the government of the state or any of its agencies.”

According to the community leader, it has been over a year since the incident took place and nothing is being done, not even the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) or the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) have shown any concern about the plight of the people of the community by providing them with rehabilitation materials . .

“Its over a year now and the government has not raised any eyebrow. The police appear helpless about these attacks. We are tempted to believe that it is a crime to belong to a small community; it is a crime not to have big people in government— otherwise what should we say is the cause of the silence from government while its people are being attacked without cause?”

Professor Anam called on the National Boundary Commission to enforce the Supreme Court Judgment of 2002 which is explicit on the Maritime boundary between Cross River and Akwa Ibom states.

—Emma Una/Calabar

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