Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
After nearly 20 years of displacement, residents of the Ebijakara community in Abi Local Government Area of Cross River State have intensified calls for government support and security assurances to enable their safe return to ancestral lands that they were forced to abandon following protracted communal violence. Leaders of the community say that although active hostilities have diminished over the years, many of their people remain scattered in neighbouring towns and host communities, still unable to go home due to unresolved tensions, persistent boundary disputes and the absence of firm security protection.
Ebijakara is one of the original villages of the Bahumono people, an ethnic group with a long history in central Cross River State. For decades, members of the Bahumono nation lived alongside neighbouring communities in what was largely a peaceful coexistence anchored in shared ancestry and mutual understanding. However, over time, disagreements over land ownership, farmland access and boundary lines intensified, leading to repeated clashes that escalated into violence in the early 2000s. These clashes ultimately compelled entire families from Ebijakara to flee their homes in search of safety.
Despite sporadic peace efforts and periodic lulls in violence, Ebijakara residents say the underlying causes of the conflict were never fully resolved, leaving them unable to return. Many live with relatives or have set up new homes in nearby settlements such as Usumutong, Adim and Ugep, but community leaders insist their ultimate desire is to go back to Ebijakara when conditions are safe and secure. They emphasise that peace agreements signed in 2020 among Bahumono communities have helped reduce overt hostilities, but without concrete measures to address land disputes and offer robust security guarantees, displaced persons remain hesitant to return.
In a recent radio discussion on a programme broadcast from Calabar, representatives of the Ebijakara community reiterated their appeal to the Cross River State government and relevant security agencies. One leader explained that although there has been relative calm for years, a lack of visible security presence and unresolved disagreements over boundaries undermine confidence. He disclosed that the community has informally notified authorities of its plan to begin returning in mid‑April 2026 but stressed that this return is contingent on deployment of credible security cover to prevent any resurgence of hostilities.
Another community representative said that time alone has not healed the mistrust between communities previously involved in conflict, and that only firm intervention by state government and security apparatus can reassure residents that they will be protected from renewed violence. They are urging coordinated action that goes beyond symbolic gestures, including deployment of mobile police units, community policing initiatives and mechanisms to facilitate peaceful co‑existence between Ebijakara and neighbouring villages once at odds.
Historical accounts of the communal clashes in Abi Local Government Area reveal that disputes frequently flared between Ebijakara and neighbouring communities such as Ebom and Usumutong. These disputes sometimes resulted in deaths, property destruction and the breakdown of social ties that once bound the Bahumono people together. Government or military interventions in the past were often reactive, responding to flare‑ups rather than addressing structural issues such as land ownership and community boundaries. This pattern, residents say, has contributed to cycles of displacement that persist even when open violence subsides.
Observers of communal conflicts in the region note that disagreements over land rights, access to fertile farmlands and unclear or contested boundary demarcations have repeatedly fanned tensions in Cross River State and neighbouring areas. In many cases, the absence of formal adjudication by courts or government panels has allowed competing claims to endure, fueling mistrust and occasional violence. Even where peace accords have been signed, the absence of enforcement mechanisms has meant that displaced persons such as those from Ebijakara have struggled to return home.
Cross River State authorities have, at times, expressed commitments to strengthening peace and security across the state’s diverse communities, often calling for dialogue and reconciliation. However, as of this report, there has been no specific public statement from the state government directly addressing the Ebijakara community’s latest appeal or outlining concrete plans for deployment of security personnel or other protective measures to support resettlement.
The displacement of Ebijakara’s residents underscores the human cost of prolonged communal conflicts that, while simmering rather than erupting into widespread violence, leave deep and lasting impacts on families’ social and economic well‑being. Many displaced families have been separated from their lands and livelihoods for years, relying on host communities and ad‑hoc arrangements that offer only partial protection and limited opportunities for full reintegration.
Community leaders warn that without coordinated government action — including security assurances, formal resolution of land and boundary disputes, and sustained peacebuilding initiatives — the cycle of displacement could persist for years more. As preparations for the proposed return approach, displaced Ebijakara residents are urging swift and decisive support from Cross River State leadership and national security agencies to ensure their homecoming is peaceful, protected and sustainable.
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