While most residents of 8 Miles in Calabar, CRS, continue to witness a steady stream of life threatening robbery attacks, sources within the area have informed www.calitown.com that, “unless some members of the Ikpa Omin Clan Council and the Youth Council make peace, the terrible crime situation in 8 Miles will only go from bad to worse”. Reliably, www.calitown.com investigations show that four chiefs in the clan council; A. E. Omin, O. U. Oqua, I. E. Okon and E. O. Omin are locked in an unfortunate feud with three notable youth leaders in the area. The three youth leaders, Ebenezer Bassey, Edet Edim and Ekong Omin were arrested not too long and detained at the Federal Housing Police Station, Calabar, at the instance of the chiefs. It is believed that the band of youths put together by the youth leaders for the local policing of the area and the outcome of the efforts has been responsible for the “confidence in the youth leadership over and above that most residents of the area have in the chiefs”, as a source put it.
But sources close to the chiefs are claiming that the youth leaders “are carrying their new found influence to matters like collection of land royalties that they have no power over”. It appears that attempts by some individuals in the area to broker peace has yeilded no fruits. Painfully the lull in the vigilante activities co-ordinated by the youth leaders have created a window of opportunity that has been recklessly exploited by petty thieves and robbers. Not too long ago, an aide of a serving CRS House of Assembly member was killed in one of such robberies while a domestic servant of CR governor, Liyel Imoke, was shot and killed early this week.
