By Cletus Asuquo
Biakpan community leaders in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State have accused their neighbours from Etono II of launching renewed attacks despite ongoing peace efforts by the state government.
At a press briefing in Calabar on Tuesday, the Biakpan Traditional Rulers alleged that youths from Etono II recently invaded parts of Biakpan, destroying lives and property, including the multimillion-naira Brotherhood of the Cross and Star cathedral at New Jerusalem, Biakpan.
The group said the assault, which came barely two months after both communities signed a peace accord on August 1, 2025, amounted to “a deliberate provocation and total disregard for the authority of the Cross River State Government.”
Speaking unbehalf of the group, Obu Obu Enang, said Biakpan could no longer remain silent while its people continued to suffer unprovoked attacks.
“Our people have been killed, our places of worship destroyed, and our peace violated repeatedly. The Biakpan community stands for peace and law, but peace without justice is a mirage,” Enang told journalists.
He urged Governor Bassey Otu to act swiftly by enforcing previous court judgments and government pronouncements affirming Biakpan’s ownership of the disputed land.
Enang cited three key rulings — the 1986 High Court, the 1989 Court of Appeal, and the 1996 Supreme Court judgment in Ojah vs Ogboni — which, he said, clearly established that “the land now occupied by Etono II is part and parcel of Biakpan communal land under the headship of the Biakpan paramount ruler.”
“We have obeyed the law at every turn, yet our patience has been mistaken for weakness,” he said. “Despite clear judicial pronouncements and repeated government positions, the Etono II people continue to defy both the law and peace accords.”
The Biakpan chiefs also accused the Etono II community of committing various violent acts over the years, including killings, arson, and desecration of religious sites, with the most recent being the burning of the Brotherhood cathedral on October 5, 2025.
“This latest attack during a peace period is a slap on the face of justice,” Enang said, calling on security agencies to arrest and prosecute those behind the violence.
The Biakpan Traditional Rulers Council commended Governor Otu and the Biase Local Government Council for their earlier interventions but urged stronger action to ensure that peace accords and court rulings are fully implemented.
They further appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services, and the National Human Rights Commission to investigate the alleged killings and destruction of property in the area.
“Enough is enough. The Nigerian state must show that no one is above the law,” Enang added. “We remain committed to peace, but we demand justice anchored on truth and the rule of law.”
