By Joseph Abasi-Abasi
The Biakpan Traditional Rulers Council and Concerned Citizens of Biakpan Community in Biase Local Government Area of Cross River State have called on the Cross River State Government and federal security agencies to enforce existing court judgments affirming Biakpan’s ownership of disputed communal land currently claimed by the neighbouring Etono II community.
Speaking at a press briefing held in Calabar on October 14, 2025, the Biakpan leaders expressed deep concern over what they described as continued provocations, violent attacks, and disobedience of peace accords by Etono II, despite clear judicial and government pronouncements on the matter.
Addressing journalists, the Biakpan Traditional Rulers commended Governor Bassey Edet Otu for his swift intervention and commitment to restoring peace in the area, pledging the community’s full support for his administration.
They, however, lamented that Etono II had repeatedly violated peace agreements and Supreme Court rulings recognizing the land as part of Biakpan communal territory.
According to the statement, a long-running legal dispute between both communities had been conclusively settled in favor of Biakpan in Suit No. C/6/73, delivered by the Cross River State High Court on March 7, 1986, a decision upheld by the Court of Appeal in 1989 and the Supreme Court in 1996 (Ojah vs. Ogboni, 1996 6 NWLR Pt. 454, p. 272).
Following the Supreme Court verdict, the Cross River State Government, in letters dated September 6, 1996, February 2, 2007, and July 12, 2012, reaffirmed that Etono II remains part of Biakpan and must desist from actions capable of breaching the peace.
The Biakpan delegation, led by Onun Dr. E. B. Enun, Onun Lawrence E. Ekpezu, Onun Obu Obu Enang, and Chief Godwin Ekpezu, accused Etono II of a series of violent acts, including the destruction of religious sites, killings, and arson.
They alleged that Etono II youths and hired mercenaries recently destroyed the Brotherhood of the Cross and Star’s rebuilt New Jerusalem Cathedral on October 5, 2025, despite an existing peace accord signed on August 1, 2025.
“The Biakpan community can no longer remain silent while our people are killed and our land violated under the guise of agitation for self-determination,” the statement read.
They urged the Cross River State Government, the Inspector-General of Police, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) to ensure immediate enforcement of the Supreme Court judgment and prosecute all perpetrators of violence.
Reaffirming their commitment to peace, the Biakpan leaders insisted that genuine reconciliation could only be achieved through respect for truth, justice, and the rule of law.
“Biakpan stands firmly for peace, law, and justice — but peace without justice is a mirage,” they declared.
