Two persons were killed while others declared missing in the renewed boundary hostility between the riverine community of Oku Iboku in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom and Ikot Offiong, a neighbour in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State.
The two warring communities have been entangled in protracted internecine boundary hostilities for more than 100 years that resulted in loss of many lives, properties and displacement of many from their ancestral home.
Deputy Speaker of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly who represents Itu state Constituency, Rt. Hon. KufreAbasi Edidem said the fresh clash by some assailants allegedly from Ikot Offiong, left two persons killed bodies, while the whereabouts of some residents were still unknown.
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While canvassing for a standby Navy Base and frequent gunboats patrol in the creeks, the lawmaker, who presented the demands under “Matter of Urgent Public Importance” during plenary, lamented that his kinsmen and women had been killed.
Edidem also stated that properties were destroyed along with several missing persons in the intractable crisis.
He said the armed hoodlums stormed the coastal community and launched the attack on local fishermen, farmers, and residents on Monday, May 13, 2025, at about 7 a.m.
The Deputy Speaker told the Assembly that the crisis stemmed from an age-long boundary dispute and pleaded with the House to liaise with the state government, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and other agencies to send relief materials to the affected families to ameliorate their sufferings.
However, members unanimously condemned the killings and destruction of properties, describing the incident as heart-breaking while saying time has come to find solution to it.
The Speaker of the House, Elder Udeme Otong expressed displeasure over the incident, noting the responsibility of government to protect lives and properties.
Otong urged the state government to increase patrol of gunboats in the riverine zone of Itu, to combat the ongoing attacks on farmers, fishermen and other residents.
He, therefore, directed the Clerk of the House to communicate with the state government on the matter for necessary action.
