The Akwa Ibom State Police Command has confirmed four deaths in the recent communal violence between the Amazaba community in Eastern Obolo and their Ikot Akpan Udo neighbors in the state’s Ikot Abasi Local Government Area.
This is due to the fact that it has sent a tactical force of roughly 300 officers to the fighting neighborhoods in order to dominate and calm the disturbances.
Odiko Macdon, the command’s Public Relations Officer, told reporters on Saturday that the Commissioner of Police, Olatoye Durusinmi, had also urged relevant state and non-state actors to step up their collaboration to address the problem.
The Amazaba and Eastern Obolo crisis broke out in 2008, resulting in the wanton destruction of lives and properties and the displacement of thousands of residents from the warring communities.
Since then efforts by successive administrations to resolve the crisis have yielded little or no results.
Governor Udom Emmanuel’s effort to resolve the agelong crisis and resettle the displaced persons by constituting a White Paper Implementation Committee headed by the Commissioner of Health, Prof Augustine Umoh, had suffered several setbacks following occasional disruptions of the peace initiatives by the warring communities.
Macdon said, “The crisis in Amazaba community in Eastern Obolo and Ikot Akpan Udo of Ette clan in Ikot Abasi local government has led to the lives of four persons. We have mobilised about 300 policemen to the places, there are heavy deployments
“Furthermore, the Command is sparing no resources in restoring normalcy, the CP has called on those concerned to give peace a chance. He has further called on relevant state and non-state Actors to intensify their interface to restore peace”
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