Yakurr Group Urges Restraint Over Ugep, Idomi Land Dispute
The Yakurr Peoples Club (YPC), Abuja, has called for calm amid rising tensions between the Ugep and Idomi communities in Yakurr Local Government Area of Cross River State, urging both sides to embrace dialogue over the lingering land dispute.
In a statement jointly signed by the President of the YPC, retired Group Captain Eloma Ekpo Ikona, and the Secretary-General, Omini Oden, and
issued on May 1, 2026, the group expressed concern over reports of escalating hostilities, warning that any outbreak of violence would undermine the Ekori Peace Accord of 2017, a pact said to have entered into by all Yakurr communities to maintain unity and peaceful coexistence.
The YPC described the accord, brokered under the Yakurr Peace Mission, as a binding framework that continues to guide conflict resolution and communal relations in the area.
It stressed that the agreement clearly prohibits any form of violence, noting that communities found to have initiated hostilities risk collective sanctions.
“No grievance or provocation justifies bloodshed among brothers,” the statement read, as the group urged stakeholders to prioritise peaceful engagement.
The club specifically called for immediate de-escalation, an end to inflammatory rhetoric, and restraint in the mobilisation of youths, while encouraging the use of lawful and traditional mechanisms to resolve the dispute.
It further warned that any actions capable of triggering violence would have lasting consequences, adding that leaders must be mindful of the implications of their decisions.
The YPC noted that the Ekori Peace Accord was achieved through sacrifice and must be preserved, cautioning against a return to past conflicts.
Reaffirming its commitment to peace, the group urged all parties to choose dialogue over confrontation, insisting that sustainable development in Yakurr can only thrive in an atmosphere of unity and stability.
“Yakurr must not fight Yakurr, not again, not now, not ever,” the statement added.
