Community accuses C'River Govt of failure to resolve land dispute, implement panel’s report

 

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By Tina Agosi Todo, Calabar

Onyadama community in Obubra Local Council of Cross River State community in Yakurr Local Council.

Onyadama community had been in age-long crisis with Nko community over land dispute since early 19th Century.

The state Governor, Ben Ayade, had threatened to revoke ownership of the land in contention.

But the Onyadama people, yesterday, at a press briefing at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Calabar, said they had been declared owners of the disputed land in several court cases from the 1940s.

A statement by the Village Council Chairman, Mr. Festus Ntor, stated that the commission of inquiry, led by Justice Efiong (rtd), was set up by former Governor Liyel Imoke in 2009 when Nko launched another attack on Onyadama.

He said: “In 2016, following another bout of conflict between the community and Inyim community, the government set up another commission of inquiry. The report did not see the light of the day. So, lack of political-will by government to do the needful, to a large extent, has actually encouraged the crisis.

“It has been widely rumoured that the state government intends to invoke the said land as a means of bringing an end to the perennial crisis. We will no doubt appreciate government’s initiatives to end the crisis.”

Former House of Assembly member, representing Obubra II and former Special Adviser on Budget, Abeng Onor, who spoke on the issue, also accused the state government, saying: “Cross River State government does not want Onyadama community to exist because they have failed several times to look at the panel report.

The Onyadama community, however, said that the way forward is for all parties to accept the outcome of the court judgment no matter how painful, respect the boundary of the land as contained in the judgments and live in peace with one another.”