C'River Community Laments Constant Militants Invasion
NNA
The people of Esuk Mba community in Akpabuyo local government area of Cross River have sent out a Save-Our-Soul message t to the government to save them from the constant invasion of the by militants.
The residents of the agrarian and fishing community, lamented that they have been deprived of their source of income by the constant invasion that have gone on for years now have denied.
According to them, the thriving commercial activities, particularly the "Trade by Barter" market that have traders from different clans gathered, have become a shadow of itself.
Speaking in a separate interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the residents noted that the little efforts by the concern authority, including the state government, have not yielded the desire result.
According to Mr Bassey Effiong Bassey, nember representing Akpabuyo in the state House of Assembly, insecurity in the community have become a very problematic one to the extent that the people fear going to the market and farm.
While noting that last support from security agencies and the government, the lawmaker appealed to the Navy to also extend their support to Akpabuyo in the area of insecurity.
He noted that militants usually invade the community through the waterways.
"While we appreciate the Nigerian Navy love to ensuring that our people remain healthy, but we also need this support to combat the security challenge in Akpabuyo that have remain so for a very long time.
"As we speak, the means of livelihood have been taken away from our youths by the militants that regularly attack the area.
"My people can no longer go the river to fish or farm because of this challenges.
"We know that the state government is trying its best to arrest this, and we also understand that the Navy is also being limited by logistics problem, but we are appealing for more effort to stop this menace," he stated.
Paramount Ruler of Akpabuyo, Etintin Francis Efa, on his part, called for support to arrest the challenges of insecurity in the area.
He stated that the challenge have denied his people to live decently without fear of being attacked. The paramount ruler pointed out that their market is constantly attacked by the militants who chased away the traders are cart away heir goods.
"This is what we have had to live with for sometime now and it's getting more complicated by the day," he said.
Similarly, the community youth leader, Mr Effiong Eyo, said that the trade by barter market was the only means where the people exchange what they do not have with what they need.
"This market have existed for over 500 years and had made life easier for the people to exchange their goods with what they need but the activities of these militants have disrupted that.
"This people (militants) normally comes in through this road (point of no return), where the white men carry slaves to the river at the back of the market.
"They usually come well armed and when they do, our people scamper for safety and abandon their wards.
"There is nothing we can do to stop them and this have been going on for years now," he stated. NAN
