2 killed, 7 injured in Adadamas/Amagus renewed war

The lingering crisis between the Adadama Community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River and Amagu Community in Ikwo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State has again claimed the lives of two persons with seven others injured.

About 37 people have been killed, including a Ph. D student and a Youth Corps member beheaded by militants since communal clash broke out over land disputes.

Recently, suspected militants from Amagus again allegedly invaded the Adadama farmland, launching a renewed attack. Saturday Vanguard gathered that a young farmer named Bassey Ebongor Bassey was beheaded on his farmland last week, while another farmer within the same axis escaped with bullet wounds, and has since been receiving treatment at the General Hospital, Itigidi.

A few days ago, three more farmers survived another attack with bullet wounds. The farmers were said to be receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.

According to a source in the community, the Governor of Cross River State, Ben Ayade and his deputy, Prof. Ivara Esu last Saturday visited the community following a distress call sent to them.

The Deputy Governor, while addressing the war-torn community sued for calm and admonished the people not to retaliate in order to avoid escalating the crisis.

Esu assured that the state government would deploy security men to quell the crisis, just as he promised to ameliorate the suffering of the people who have been deprived of accessing their farmlands with relief materials from the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

Furthermore, he assured the people that the new administration shall as a matter of urgency review the matter from where the past administration of former Governor Liyel Imoke stopped and ensure that the two states governments as well as the relevant authorities would bring lasting solution to the over two years lingering crisis.

Barely, thirty minutes after the Deputy Governor’s departure from Adadama community, militants dressed in military uniform wearing bullet proof vest invaded the community through the border axis, again killing a man named Edward Agube Eki and wounding many others. It was also confirmed that the mercenaries bombed a police post yet to be commissioned at the border area.

A community Chief, lamented the suffering of Adadama people appealing to both the Federal and State governments to come to their rescue.

However, as at the time of writing this report, neither the relief materials nor the security had arrived Adadama.