Farmers and landowners in several Cross River communities have raised alarm over what they described as sustained invasion of their farmlands by cattle and armed herders who allegedly threaten villagers with AK-47 rifles.
The incidents are said to be prevalent in parts of Odukpani Local Government Area, where residents complain of crops being destroyed and communities thrown into fear.
Ikpeme Effiom, a native of Ntan Obu, a riverine community, said his farmlands have suffered repeated destruction since last year.
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He alleged that herders with large herds of cattle have settled along the river banks stretching from Itu in neighbouring Akwa Ibom State through Ntan Obu to other Ukwa Eburutu communities. These cows have ravaged nearby farms, and when villagers protest, the herders intimidate them with guns, Effiom said.
The issue also featured prominently on a live phone-in programme on HIT FM, Calabar, where callers decried what they termed the impunity of armed herders operating in their communities.
One caller, Atim Otu, a teacher, alleged that cattle recently invaded her sister’s cassava farm in Okoyong and uprooted crops. She claimed that when her brother-in-law confronted the herder, he was threatened at gunpoint.
They move about with their cows carrying rifles. They scare farmers who challenge them. People are now afraid to speak up while their farms are being destroyed,” she said.
Other callers from Atan Okoyong, Inua Akpa and Okurikang communities echoed similar complaints, alleging that herders not only allow cattle to graze freely on cultivated land but also uproot crops to feed their animals.
Some further claimed that when farmers attempt to resist, the herders report them to security agencies.
“The painful part is that our people sometimes get detained when they try to stop the destruction,” one caller, Okon Ekpenyong, alleged.
Reacting, the Secretary of Okun and Eniong Abatim Clan Council in Odukpani, Chief John Asanye, said while he was uncertain such incidents were occurring in Ntan Obu due to rising coastal waters, clashes between farmers and herders have been frequent in the wider Okoyong axis since 2019.
“These skirmishes have been common in the Okoyong neighbourhood since 2019,” Asanye confirmed.
As at press time, it was difficult to speak with members of the herders association.
Efforts to reach the State Security Adviser for the Southern District, Patrick Odion, the member representing the area in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Francis Asuquo; and the House of Representatives member, Bassey Akiba, were unsuccessful as calls and messages were not returned.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, said he would inquire from the Divisional Police Officer in Odukpani to ascertain whether any formal complaint had been lodged.
