Cross River chieftains, community raise alarm over influx of strangers, armed militias

Tamarauemi Ebimini

Traditional leaders of Akpet nation in the Biase LGA of Cross River State have raised alarm over the continual influx of strange and armed persons in different groups.

They said the militias have massively invaded and commandeered hectares of their lands without any recourse to the local government, state authorities or themselves.

The clan head of the Akpet nation, HRH Atte Obhort Sunday Evong disclosed this in his palace in Akpet, the capital of Biase LGA when he inaugurated a 21-man committee against illegal mining and the influx of unidentified people in his palace weekend. The committee is led by Mr Otei Evong Ebit with Bassey Otei Egbai as secretary.

The chieftain was worried that, apart from indulging wantonly in illegal mining which the state government has banned, the strange persons, whom he said are in their numbers, come with thugs and usually resorted to crimes such as the kidnapping of community persons that dared to challenge them, intimidation and manhandling of his subjects.

He claimed that an illegal mining firm “has commandeered hundreds of hectares of our community lands, and when we ask questions and challenge them, they intimidated our people.”

He further said: “They have been bribing some locals who guide them. They pay fabulously to our children for measures of gemstones so that they are no longer interested in going to school.

“We have revoked the earlier agreement and instituted a committee to investigate and fish out illegal miners and unidentified persons that have flooded our forests and exploited resources without our authority.