Former Cross River State Head of Service and one-time gubernatorial candidate on the platform of the defunct National Republican Convention, NRC, Wilfred Oden Inah has disclosed that the bulk of the arms and ammunitions being used to execute the seeming intractable communal conflict between the Nko/Mkpani communities in Yakurr Local Government Area of CRS, were supplied by politicians in the last elections conducted across the nation.
Inah who spoke early this morning on “The Public View”, a news and current affairs programme on Calabar’s private radio station, HIT 95.9 FM, further maintained that in a bid to perpetuate themselves in office, these politicians “bought arms and ammunitions and gave their supporters. While it is almost impossible to retrieve these arms, we have an unfortunate situation on our hands; the same arms are being used to kill our people and the buyers of these arms have become helpless, while our people are dying”.
The former Head of Service also believes that the Cross River State Government has been slow to forcefully respond to this crisis which has negatively impacted on the socio-economic development of the area. He however advices that government must show commitment in ensuring that, “these warring communities do not seize the Federal highway and compel commuters travelling to the Northern part of the state to travel through Ebonyi State”.
For more than three months, the Nko/Mkpani communities have been engaged in a communal conflict that has brought all activities in the communities to a standstill.