Hon Okon Nyong Owuna.
By Itam Offor
Cross River Lawmakers have urged the State Government to intervene urgently in the lingering communal clashes in Iko Esai Community, Akamkpa Local Government Area, which has claimed several lives and led to the destruction of property worth millions of Naira.
Accordingly, the Lawmakers want the State Government to urgently reinforce security, declare a state of emergency as well as impose a curfew on the community.
They further want the State Government to ban all logging activities by non-indigenous investors, constitute an Administrative Panel of Inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the intra-communal clashes as well as suspend all forms of youth activities in the community pending the resolution of the crises.
The Lawmakers made these resolutions following a motion sponsored by the Member representing Akamkpa 1 State Constituency, Hon Okon Nyong Owuna.
Owuna informed the House that the intra-communal crisis in Iko Esai Community began about 5 years ago when a faction of the Village Council and youths sold the community forest to some non-indigenous investors against the interest of other factions .
The Akamkpa Lawmaker further informed that the matter had been taken to the Akamkpa High Court adding that efforts by concerned citizens of Akamkpa to settle the matter has proved abortive while the factions continued in hate speeches and violent clashes.
“Mr Speaker another major contributing factor to the crises was the payment of lko Ekperim forest royalty by an investor to the aggrieved faction…. This triggered hate speeches leading to violent clashes between the rival factions resulting in the tragic shooting and killing of a youth. Owuna explained.
He lamented that the crises which was still ongoing has resulted in the loss of many lives and massive destruction of property including cocoa estates.
Co-sponsors of the motion including; Hon Linus Bassey (Akamkpa 2), Rt Hon Hillary Bisong (Boki 2), Hon Francis Ogban(Biase), Thomas Aruku(Ogoja), Kingsley Ntui(Etung) and Bassey Bassey (Akpabuyo) and other Lawmakers all condermed the crises and implored the State Government to urgently intervene to forestall further loss of lives and destruction of property.
The Legislators unanimously thanked the government for the deployment of security operatives to the area while urging government to put in place measures to that will enhance peace in the area.
The Lawmakers stressed that the natural resources in the area should rather enhance the wellbeing of the indigenes not cause sorrow and crisis.
In his closing remarks, the Speaker of the Assembly Rt Hon Elvert Ayambem, commended the Legislators for their concern emphasizing that the Chairman of the LGA should urgently wade into the matter while all those found culpable should be made to face the wrath of the law.
Recall that last Sunday, the two warring factions clashed and it was reported that about three persons lost their lives while property worth millions of Naira were destroyed.
