Seven persons have been killed and five
declared missing over a land dispute between Enwang and Uko-Nteghe in
Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
Two of those killed, PUNCH Metro
learnt, were from neighbouring communities of Ofi and Akprakpran
respectively. They were said to be going to Ibaka, another neighbouring
community, when they were ambushed and killed by one of the warring
communities.
Also, a youth identified simply as Ekuwem
from Orukim Uda community was also said to have been abducted by youths
suspected to be from Enwang and has not been seen since January 4 when
the crisis erupted.
Apart from the casualties, Enwang and Uko-Nteghe communities lost properties estimated at millions of naira.
PUNCH Metro authoritatively learnt
that no fewer that 37 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries
with eight of them under critical condition.
A victim from Uko-Nteghe, Nse Ntuen, said
Enwang youths invaded Uko-Nteghe with some people in army uniform,
overran the community and destroyed everything in sight.
“Enwang youths took us by surprise. The
soldiers they came with, we thought were for peaceful mission. Before we
knew it, there was wanton destruction in our community,” Ntuen said.
Another victim from Enwang, Mr. Etim
Edet, said he came back to meet his home vandalised, adding that he had
since abandoned home.
He said, “I was not around when youths
from Uko-Nteghe entered Enwang and started killing people, destroying
houses. I only came back to see my house vandalised.
“All of us from this area have left our
community for fear of attack from Uko-Nteghe. These are bullets injury I
had from a previous attack by Uko-Ntegh’s youths.”
A community leader in Uko-Nteghe, Mr.
Etim Effiong, said the matter was a long standing dispute, adding the
crisis was actually a problem between two families in Uko-Nteghe and
Enwang.
“The problem is a long standing problem. This case is not always between the entire Uko-Nteghe and the entire Enwang community.
“There is a particular family called Uko-Akai, that is, in Uko-Nteghe, and there is another, Uko-Akai, at Uko-Akpan, Enwang.
“These two villages are of the same
parents. The other faction of Uko-Akai in Uko-Nteghe migrated to Enwang
and lives there. These ones at Enwang now rejected them.
“Even within them, they are bearing the
same family names like Otu, Udo-oyo, Akene, and Antai. Both of them are
sharing these family names.
“The people of Uko-Nteghe said those at
Enwang have no right to be farming at Uko-Nteghe because the place is no
longer their ancestral home.
“There are five families in Uko Akpan, it
is only that family which migrated from Uko-Nteghe (Uko-Akai) that farm
in Uko-Nteghe territory.
“Every year there must be problem: this
case had been settled in courts in1909, 1927, 2009/2010 restraining them
from coming into Uko-Nteghe land.”
All attempts to speak to Enwang leaders proved abortive as they keep shifting appointment date given to our correspondent.
When contacted, the Police Public
Relations Officer, Mr. Etim Dickson, said he was in Abuja. He told our
correspondent that he had called the command to verify the issue, but
the command was not aware of the incident.
He said, “I’m in Abuja. I have called the command to verify the issue, but they are not aware.”
But a source at Mbo Police Division said
the police did try to bring the situation under control but were
hampered by lack of enough personnel and firearms.
“Joint task forces have been deployed in
the two affected communities to assist us. You can see them around; we
can assure the indigenes of full protection,” he said.
A former transitional chairman, Mbo LGA,
Mr. Okpo Ekere, was shot on the stomach on May 20, 2012 when he went to
broker peace between the two warring communities of Ebughu and Effiat
(all in Mbo LGA) following the killings of Ebughu men by youths
suspected to be from Effiat.
Ekere eventually died on July 26, 2012 in
Saudia Arabia while on his way to India for treatment in an air
ambulance hired by state government.
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