35 Houses Burnt, 3, 000 Displaced In Ovonum, Ofatura Communal Clash In Cross River

... As Displaced Community Calls For Aids From Gov’t, NGOs

By Dominic OKOH

The struggle over a parcel of land in Cross River state have continued to gather momentum as 35 compounds have been burnt and over 3, 000 persons displaced in Ovonum and Ofatura communities of Obubra Local Government Area over the struggle for peace of land.

The recent battle for a piece of land started in April 4, when the Ofatura people were said to have invaded their Ovonum brothers, allegedly killing three persons, burnt several houses including the ones belonging to Oyama Sunday Abeng, Zadok Anthony and DS Cyprian Ovat just as Ovonum people also went for reprisal and also burnt some houses in Ofatura. In the process, property worth hundreds of thousands of naira was destroyed.

Piqued by ugly incident, the traditional council of Adon Kingdom fined both Ovonum and Ofatura communities a life cow and goat respectively with Ovonum refusing to pay the fine, complaining that Ofatura people, who were the aggressors, were treated with kid gloves.

The source said shortly after the traditional leaders meeting at the village, the leadership of both Ovonum and Ofatura living in Calabar had a peace meeting and resolved among others that those who have already planted on the disputed land should be allowed to harvest and vacate the land, that destruction of crops from both sides should stop and that any person caught should be brought to community for prosecution and that the head of the family should call all of us for truce.

The leadership of both communities also resolved that gave the head of the family in Ofatura, which is also the head of Ovonum, should call the Ovonum people, as his children and sue for peace and demand that the Ovonum people should register with them at Ofatura as members of the same family as well as giving the traditional council two weeks to come up with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the way forward.

The leaders at the Calabar meeting include Chief Sylvester Odok, Bar. Emmanuel Ochaten, Collins Agbor Oyama, Elder Obem, Chief Oyom Enang (clan head of Ofatura), Chief Raymond Okpa (clan head of Ovonum), Dr. Alfred Mboto, retired Permanent Secretary and former State Security Adviser (SSA), Porf. Walter Mboto, Oyen Oyom, Jombo Ntimicchera, Abeng Enang, and Ntor Emmanuel, representative of Adon community and youth leaders.

But barely a week after the Calabar meeting, the Ofatura youths on early hours of Nigeria 63rd Independence Anniversary day attacked the Ovonum community killing one Eko Eteng Ayo and destroyed over 35 houses belonging mostly to prominent personalities and property worth millions of naira.

An eye-witness, who gave his name as Enang Emmanuel Enang, blamed the latest hostilities on some of the elders who fed the Ofatura community leadership with lies that the Ovonum people had beaten up some Ofatura farmers who had gone to harvest their produce and got them wounded in the process.

On getting wind of such a development, the Ofatura youths went to the farm land in question and beat up three farmers from Ovonum and inflicted severe injuries on them.

Narrating their ordeal, Enang said: “Amid all these disagreements, one of the leaders of Ofatura village council, went and sold a Melina tree in another person’s farm and when they person went to cut down the tree, the owner of the farm refused and drove him away. The person sent away went and told the person who sold the tree what happened.

“Rather than saying exactly what transpired, the village council leader went and lied to the village people that the man, who went to fell the tree, was attacked. Piqued by this, the youths of Ofatura rushed down to the farm, revenged and inflicted matchet cuts on the three farmers allegedly accused of beating up the man who came to cut down the tree against the resolution.

“Following that incident, police were invited and after investigations they discovered that the man who came to cut down the tree was not beaten as alleged and they arrested the same boys from Ofatura who perpetrated the violent act against those three farmers from Ovonum. The Ofatura community rallied and bailed them out on Wednesday last week.”

Narrating further, Enang said trouble again started brewing on Saturday, September 30, evening when information filtered out that a young man from Ovonum, carrying a woman on a bike and returning from Apiapum with sacks of bags, was stopped by the Ofatura youths and his bike seized.

According to him, Ovonum people did not take it likely and quickly sent in emissary to the chief of Ofatura who promptly released the bike.

He, however, said the crisis got to the climax when at the wee hours of October 1, another piece of information filtered that Ofatura community youths and some mercenaries were sited at the border between the two communities assembling unusually and some were seen with dangerous weapons and at exactly 12 midnight the Ofatura militias invaded the Ovonum community and unleashed mayhem.

He said by the time the soldiers arrived, a lot of damage has been done to the Ovonum and now thousands are now taking refuge at Matter Mesricodia Catholic church at Ovonum, accusing a member of the House of Assembly of being behind the recent attack on the people.

In an emotion-laden tone, Enang said: “We have been decimated and our property destroyed. Over three thousand Ovonum persons are now refuges in their own land. We are now hibernating at a Catholic church with no food and no water to even drink. We call on government and other Non-government Organisations (NGOs) to come to our aid before we suffer outbreak of epidemic. We have nbot witnessed this kind of destruction.”

But another witness from Ofatura, Justine Oyom Ovat said: “The recent crisis was caused by the Ovonum people who feel they are the lord in this Adon Kingdom. They gave them fine of life cow to pay and they refused behaving as if they are above the law. I can also tell you that their prominent sons have been oppressing us and instigating internal crisis.

“They were the people that first attacked Ofatura on April this year and the Adon Kingdom made peace and while we were still trying to resolve it their people beat up somebody who went to farmer to do his business and that sparked off trouble that culminated to the recent attacks that led to destruction of houses in both communities. I call on all leaders to come to round table to find a lasting solution to this intractable clash.”

Denying involvement in the Ovonum and Ofatura communal clashes, the member representing Obubra II state constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Egbe Abeng Egbe, said: “I can tell you that the recent peace enjoyed in the community is because of my intervention.

“When I got a call about the outbreak of the recent problem on Sunday night I moved quickly from Yala where I was on an oversight, down to my community and tried to mobilise the security to intervene and at last I succeeded.

“The destruction is on both communities and with the help of Governor Bassey Otu 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 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.”