Army arrests 17 suspects over C/R/A’Ibom boundary crisis

The Nigerian Army has arrested 17 persons in connection with their alleged involvement in the boundary crisis rocking Oku Iboku and Ikot Offiong communities.

The suspects were arrested weekend when trying to cross over to Akwa Ibom state under the guise of a prayer group.

Chairman of Oku Iboku clan council, Mr. Ability Emah, who disclosed this to our correspondent on Monday in telephone interview, said he was shocked to see sophisticated weapons recovered from a group which pretended to be prayer warrior.

“When I heard that the military men on the side of Cross Rivers state were investigating a group that arrived in a bus that Friday morning I quickly climbed my motorcycle to know what was happening, so I want to tell you that I saw the Army arrest them myself.

“Some even disguised themselves as preachers dressed in white robe. An Army officer told me that it was when they confronted them that they discovered that they were armed.

I saw them remove sophisticated guns and ammunition from their bus even charms. In fact I was told that it was the charms on them that attracted the attention of the military men.

“They discovered that the suspects were actually armed men on a dangerous mission and after interrogating them about 3pm they took them away in two Hilux vans belonging to the army to Cross Rivers state And I cannot thank the military men enough because if those boys had succeeded in coming into our land they would have finished us.

The kind of weapons I saw would have been enough to wipe out the entire community,” the chairman said.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Akwa Ibom, Mr. Chukwu Ikechukwu, who confirmed the incident however could not confirm the number of suspects.

“I contacted the DPO in Itu Saturday afternoon and he confirmed that some people were arrested at the head bridge and he told me that those suspects were arrested on Friday by the military men on the Cross Rivers state side of the head bridge and have been taken to Cross Rivers state.”

The two communities of Oku-Iboku and Ikot-Offfiong in Akwa Ibom and Cros River state have been in a protracted dispute over a piece of land.

The crisis which escalated this year has claimed many lives while properties estimated a several million of naira has been lost to the crisis.