By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
Following the exit of soldiers’ who invaded their communities in the aftermath of crisis rocking the Nko and Oyadama communities in Cross River State, over a disputed parcel of land which both communities are claiming ownership of, the internally displaced people of Nko of Yakurr Local Government Area have began counting their loses, saying that the communal clash had brought economic hardship to it’s people.
The internally displaced people counted their loses during the visitation of a powerful delegation sent during the weekend by Nko community stakeholders in diaspora, led by Dr. Akpama Mbang, to distribute relief materials worth millions of naira to the displaced people, who are now taking refuge in different locations in neighboring villages.
Items distributed by Nko people in diaspora to the internally displaced persons, include: bags of rice, beans, garri, palm oil, salt, detergent and cartons of indomies worth millions of naira.
The displaced persons, who fled their ancestral home and took refuge in uncompleted buildings, church premises in neighboring communities of Ekori, Asigha and other nearby villages so as not to be affected by the civil unrest, lamented what they are now going through, given the level of distruction of their homes, farmlands and domestic animals, calling on civil society organizations, CSOs, non-governmental organisations, NGOs, and public spirited individuals to come to their aid, given the level of hard times and economic hardship that they now suffer as a result of distruction that came with the civil unrest.
The internally displaced pointed accusing fingers at the military authority for sending soldiers to clamp down on the natives for daring to engage in civil unrest.
In his remarks while distributing relief relief materials to victims of the civil unrest, Nko stakeholders in diaspora, led by Chief Mbang, at the community village square at weekend, a resident, Nnanke Ofem, said that with the assistance, she can bounce back to her feet irrespective of losses incured.
Among what she lost as a result of the war is her one-hectare of yam farm which according to her may have been destroyed by enemies of the community.
Nnanke also stated that her shop was razed down by soldiers who were supposed to act as mediators, but turn out to add salt to an injury.
Among other things lost by residents of the community include: their domestic animals and buildings, which they accused the soldiers of destroying during their stay in the community.
While lamenting how she lost the only legacy which she inherited from her husband, one the displaced persons Mrs. Estella Ikpi, said, “I have been stripped naked, the only property which I should have used to remember my late husband, is the building left behind for me and my three children all brought down as a result of the crises.
“My poultry farm with all the birds that were stocked before the outbreak of the crisis are all gone.
“I don’t know how and where to start again. My children have dropped out from school due to the outbreak of the communal clash.”
Mbang urged the community residents not to be afraid but return home to continue with their lives as effort are being made to get several issues addressed.
“We are here to distribute relief items to you people, hoping that all would be well once again after the crisis. It is well.
“It would be okay, just remain calm while we do everything within our reach to ensure that government asked the soldiers to leave our land so that life can return to normal in our community.”
While commending the community stakeholders in diaspora for the show of love, by making available the food items to the displaced persons, one of the internally displaced persons, Mrs Sarah Edet, who claimed to have lost her dear husband to the crisis, called on the community stakeholders and relevant authorities to do everything within their reach to ensure that soldiers don’t return to their land any longer.
She said, “As the soldiers are gone away from our community, let them go for ever, we don’t want their presence any longer in our land, let them go to their barracks, so that peace can once again return to the land.
“We are not comfortable with soldiers in our community. Our community had suffered severe losses from our attackers on the one hand and from soldiers on the other hand.”
While recounting the loses incured, she said, “My farmland, my goats, my rice field; I am supposed to be weeding grasses in my farm where I cultivated yams and other consumable crops. But the hostility in the land cannot allow me do so.
“Besides farmland, my children who are supposed to sit for external examination just can’t seat for the examination because of the hostility in the land.”
Also counting his loses, occasioned by the civil unrest, one of the residents, Mr. Stephen Ewa, lamented how he had lost one of his uncles who is like a pillar to his paternal family to the war.
Ewa, who could not state categorically if his uncle died as a result of being hit by a stray bullet, stressed that the death of his uncle has brought pain and misery to his life.
The community residents had last week accused soldiers sent to the NKo community to help quell the hostility in the war-torn area, of applying unprofessional tactics to quell the crises, a development which stakeholders of Nko community alleged caused pain to the community locals.
Reacting to the allegations, the director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen.Onyema Nwachukwu in a text message to journalists, debunked the allegations, stressing that at no time did soldiers on duty ever deploy unprofessional strategy to quell the hostility in Nko.
He said, “The troops did not conduct themselves unprofessionally. Troops were legitimately deployed to restore law and order in a communal clash between Oyadama and Nko communities.
“The troops were attacked and shot with fire arms. The five personnel who are critically wounded are currently under intensive medical care unit.”
