The Technical Assistant to the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on New Media recently disclosed that he has forgiven his enemies. l NEGROIDHAVEN can report authoritatively. This is in respect of the age-long communal crisis in Erei, Biase LGA, Cross River.
While chatting exclusively with NEGROIDHAVEN, Philip Obin explained that the Erei communal crisis which is affecting Abanwa his ancestral home negatively costs him his biological mother who could not overcome the trauma of knowing that her contemporary was burnt to death.
According to him, ‘I lost my biological mother to this crisis. She narrowly escaped one of those attacks on my community. Her very close friend, another aged woman, was burnt and roasted in her house like a chicken. My mother managed to escape but couldn’t survive the trauma that followed!’
Continuing, he said ‘But I have forgiven everyone involved in this catastrophe. Even yesterday, the people who killed my people and burnt down my community were driving through my community to Afikpo, in high speed, out of fear, when they saw the soldiers, my people and I, but I kept flagging them to reduce their speed, calm down and drive safely.
‘This is even as we returned to discover that the Abanwan people (being the major community leading other 6 communities to fight us) have farmed all our lands spanning kilometres from their community right into my own community. They have also been calling and texting us, threatening that they won’t allow us stay, insisting that they’re to give us terms and conditions on which to return to our ancestral land, and at their own desired time. I truly don’t know what else they want, but we would continue to document and report their excesses to authorities.’
Obin further noted that the Nigerian Army has intervened into the crisis, restoring calm to the embattled area. He said that after 4 to 5 years of being violently chased out by neighbouring communities, and every house in my community completely destroyed over a disputed parcel of land, ‘the Nigerian Army finally came through for my community (Urugbam) and two other communities (Afono and Edu) decimated communities. The 10 communities in Erei North and South wards of Biase LGA (Cross River State) and Ekoli Edda Community in Edda LGA of Ebonyi (a neighbouring community) were all affected.
A Forwarding Operating Base has been approved by the Nigerian Army for Erei, with soldiers already deployed to the general area to ensure the displaced communities return peacefully to their ancestral lands, ‘The soldiers have also committed to work with the existing peace committee and all affected communities to ensure ongoing peace efforts yield positive results so that the once peace Erei nation can enjoy enduring peace.’
It will be recalled that NEGROIDHAVEN had reported that the current communal crisis experienced in Erei is the 2018 native battles involving Egbor, Ipene, Abanwan and Urugbam; the 2019 battle of Ipene, Egbor, Umolor and Urugbam; and the 2020 communal war engulfing Egbor, Ibini, Afono, Edu and Urugbam.
The said communal crisis reportedly revolves around greed for an Oil Palm Plantation originally belonging to the Egbor community which was evenly benefited by all the surrounding communities in the Erei clan.
According to sources, Urugbam, one of the 17 Erei communities is alleged to have joined forces with the Afono community, and Ekoli community in Afikpo South LGA of Ebonyi State to attack the Erei Clan.
EDITORIAL
This story amongst others are reviewed on Sparkling 92.3FM and FAD 93.1FM. Again, opinions expressed on NegroidHaven are exclusively the author’s not NH’s.