Governor Otu slams seven days curfew on two fueding Cross River communities

Calabar - Following the tense atmosphere between two Cross River communities, Ugep and its neighbour to the east, Idomi, the governor of the state, Senator Bassey Edet Otu has imposed a seven - days curfew on the two communities.

The two communities, Ugep and Idomi both in Yakkur Local Government Area in the central Senatorial district of the state have been feuding over  boundary lines and have been engaging in skirmishes.

The feud which has been long lasting has  recently brought the two to another round of communal conflict prompting the government to intervene by convening a meeting of leaders and traditional rulers from both communities on Monday ,May 4 in the Deputy Governor's office in Calabar  to extract  promises from both sides to maintain the peace.

The meeting had in attendance the Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Council, the Paramount Ruler of Yakurr, the Clan Head of Idomi, the State Security Adviser, the Surveyor-General, among other stakeholders. 

At the end of that meeting, government said the Surveyor-General, alongside the State Security Adviser, the Council Chairman and representatives of both communities, would move to the disputed area within one week to carry out a physical demarcation exercise.

Each of the communities, it said, is expected to nominate five chiefs to participate in the exercise, which will be guided by mutually agreed traditional boundary alignments.
Stakeholders were also directed to submit all relevant documents supporting their claims to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government before the exercise


However, shortly after their return,  the tension escalated with both sides deploying combatants to the contested area. This situation forced the governor to impose a seven-day curfew spanning 6 00 am to 6.00 pm each day .

The press statement signed by Mr Erasmus Ekpang the Commissioner for Information directs all political leaders and traditional rulers from both communities to ensure that peace is maintained in the area. 

The statement also directs security agencies to ensure that traffic on the Calabar -Ikom highway which transects through the conflict zone remains "seamless".