One person has reportedly been killed, 11 are missing while many have been wounded following clashes by two communities in Akwa Ibom state recently.
The communities – Okopedi and Ammamong of Okobo local government area of the state were said to have engaged each other in a war-like situation over farmland acquisition.
A prominent indigene of the area, and the chairman of the governing board of the state Polytechnic, Ikot Osurua, Barr. Ekpenyong Ntekim, has waded into the crisis.
Addressing newsmen on Monday, Ntekim who is the former Attorney General of the State, urged the warring parties to sheath their swords and embrace peace for the overall development of the area.
Ntekim reminded them that no meaningful development can take place in a society where there is no peace.
The former Anthoney general lamented that a few days after the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and only 14 days into the new year, all the indigenes of the warring communities could offer to the people of Okobo was nothing but blood letting and wanton destruction of property.
With tears, he sympathized with those who lost their lives and those whose property have been destroyed as a result of the crisis.
He called on the authorities of the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) and her sister agencies to ensure that they deploy personnel to the local government area, to forestall further crisis.
He equally appealed to the state governor, Mr Udom Gabriel Emmanuel, the state House of Assembly, the donor agency to come to the aid of the victims as well as make moves that would avert such a crisis in the future.
