A crisis between two rival communities – Ovonum and Ofatura in Obubra Local Government Area of Cross River State, on Sunday night reportedly left an unspecified number of people dead and hundreds of houses burnt and destroyed.
At the root of the deadly clash is a parcel of farmland that the two warring communities have been laying claim to.
“In April this year, there was an outback of conflict between the two communities, leaving many dead and houses destroyed. Recently, on Independence Day, the misunderstanding arose again on the farmland and a fight started between youths of both communities
“The crisis got to the climax when youths from both sides got home and related the information of what took place at the plantation to their elders and at about midnight, there was an outbreak of violence between the two communities”, Elom Obongha a resident of the area told journalists.
According to Obongha, throughout the night, there was fighting between the two communities, and by the time soldiers were despatched to the area by dawn, a lot of havoc had been inflicted on both sides.
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“By the time the soldiers arrived, a lot of damage had been done and now thousands of people are now taking refuge at Matter Mesricodia Catholic Church,” he added.
Egbe Abeng, a member of the state House of Assembly, also spoke on the incident: “The recent peace enjoyed in the community is because of my intervention. When I got a call about the outbreak of the recent problem, I moved quickly from Yala where I was on an oversight function down to my community and tried to mobilise the security to intervene.
“The destruction is on both communities and with the help of Governor Bassey Out, a detachment of soldiers are stationed there to restore peace. Therefore, I call on the government to interrogate the leadership of both Ofatura and Ovoum because they need to find a lasting peace to this problem. I am a peacemaker and Ovonum people voted for me and contributed to my emergence. So why should I sponsor a war against them”
Justine Ovat, an indigene of Ofatura, lamented the latest conflict. “The recent crisis is unfortunate. The Adon Kingdom made peace after the April conflict and while we were still trying to settle down, another crisis occurred, leading to the destruction of houses in both communities. I call on all leaders to come to a roundtable to find lasting solutions to these recurring conflicts.
