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Magnus Eze, Enugu
The displaced people of Urugbam community in Cross River State currently taking refuge in parts of Abia and Ebonyi states have lamented that they could not vote in yesterday’s general elections. They are, therefore, seeking government’s immediate intervention for them to return to their homes or in the short term, establishing an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp for them.
Afikpo and Unwana communities in Afikpo North Local Government Areas of Ebonyi state are brimming with displaced persons from the neighbouring Cross River state, where communal clashes have been on the rise recently.
At the moment, many displaced natives of Ebom in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State are quartered in parts of Afikpo, especially Ozizza and Ugwuegu. Yet, by the end of last year, a large number of other displaced persons, this time, from Urugbam, in neighbouring Erei community in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State also flooded the town. Their influx followed a bloody clash involving them on one side and their kith and kin of Abanwan in collusion with about six other communities in the area, on the other side.
Sunday Sun gathered that Urugbam and Abanwan villages had been at daggers drawn over a piece of land for years; but the tension heightened by May 27, 2018; culminating in the eventual attack on the former on December 4, last year.
A repeat attack on Urugbam on December 29 last year led to the destruction of virtually every living thing in that village while their homes, property, farms and produce were reduced to ruins.
With the attack which allegedly claimed several lives, residents of Urugbam fled their abode and are currently scattered in Ohafia, Abia State; Ekoli Edda (Afikpo South) as well as Afikpo and Unwana in Afikpo North of Ebonyi State.
Egbor, one of the 10 communities in Erei which allegedly joined forces with Abanwan people in their struggle over the contentious piece of land had reportedly extended the mayhem to Ekoli Edda where the invaders killed a youth; burnt down over 25 houses, destroyed palm plantations and already harvested palm fruits, farm crops, stocked farm produce, economic trees, and other valuables during the melee that lasted several hours.
When Sunday Sun visited one of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps in Ekoli Edda recently, the completely traumatized people of Urugbam bemoaned their woes.
They said but for the kind assistance of the Chairman, Afikpo South Local Government Area, Dr Eni Uduma Chima, who feed them on a daily basis and provided security; they would have suffered the devastating effects of hunger and starvation.
In Afikpo, the situation is quite different as the displaced persons are scattered in villages; with many of them living at the mercy of the natives who provided them with accommodation. Some of them, it was also gathered; have taken to meaner jobs including daily labour and operating commercial motorcycles, for the young men.
A father of five, Ilem Edadi, whose house was burnt down and every of his property including farm produce, destroyed, presently stays with his family at Ukpa village in Afikpo, after sending his mother to Akwa Ibom State to stay with his sister.
He told our correspondent that his people have suffered enough, lamenting that neither the state nor the Federal Government, had come to their aid.
“Since this thing happened; the Cross River State government has not done anything for us. They told us that they were coming; but as of now, they haven’t come and we are still hoping they will do something. We heard that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) came to our community recently, to see things for themselves,” Edadi said.
He begged the government to find a way of settling the dispute so that they can return to their community; since they cannot do it on their own. He also appealed to the government, in the short term, to set up an IDP camp for them.
The 49-year nurse in addition raised the issue of immunisation for the under-five- year babies who would not have access to immunisation facility because of their displacement.
“With the way our people are scattered now, most of the children under five years are not immunised. In the immunisation procedure; you need to go with immunisation card; but most of these things are already lost or burnt during the incident. It will equally be difficult to know the antigens that could be given to them should they even have opportunity of getting immunised where their parents fled to,” he lamented.
Another issue that bothered him was that his people would not participate in the 2019 general elections by voting for candidates of their choice.
Sunday Sun could not immediately confirm the claim that there are about 10,000 registered voters in the displaced community which boasts of four polling units in Erei South ward. The polling units include Otan; Town hall, Ibom and Aruajorba.
Edadi said: “We were thinking that something should have been done before the election so that we return to our community to vote for candidates of our choice. But now that it’s like this; we think they can find a way of solving the problem.
“I am not happy for not voting in these elections; in fact, members of our community, wherever they are; are not happy too because we know what benefits it will bring to us if a candidate of our choice is voted into power.”
A widow, Mrs Priscilla Ilem who is taking refuge in Ngodo, Afikpo; and Ogbam Unor Owali, a National Certificate of Education (NCE) holder, who now operates commercial motorcycle in Afikpo, in separate interviews, also expressed displeasure that the crisis had denied them their franchise.
The mother of five whose late husband’s house was razed down looked forward to assistance from government so that three of her children could continue their education.
Like the widow’s children, a 23-year young man, Ilem Linus Ajah, who had planted rice in the hope of furthering his education with the proceeds, is also faced with a bleak future. “My hope is gone; all the rice was destroyed in the farm by our attackers. So, I don’t even know how to be talking about school again,” he said.
Two of the benevolent landlords housing them in Afikpo, Chief Michael Ukor Iduma of Ngodo and Ichie Unya Oko Akani at Ukpa village, both appealed for government support for the displayed persons.
Iduma, an octogenarian said: “They came to our community empty-handed; they need help to feed. The issue is how to feed them; hunger is biting them, they need to pay their children’s school fees.”
He commended the displaced persons living in their area of being of good conduct, stressing that they have been law-abiding.
Sunday Sun gathered that the plight of the displaced Erei people in Afikpo was compounded because they are not in a camp where people could visit them with relief materials.
In fact, Edadi revealed that the only assistance they had ever received from an organised group was recently, when the Reformed Presbyterian Church, Ukpa Parish, called them out and presented food items and clothes to their men and women, alike.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of Urugban community in the Diaspora, Elder Moses Eghong, has accused the Cross River State government as well as Biase local government authorities of handling their matter with levity while his people and their means of livelihood were being destroyed.
He, therefore, pleaded to the Federal Government to come to their rescue as their people have lost hope in the willingness of the state government to protect their lives and property.
Chairman of Afikpo South Local Government Area, Chima, who have borne the brunt of feeding and taking care of those at the Ekoli Edda camp provided for them; also urged their state government to intervene as the burden was becoming too much for his council.
