ONE KILLED, SEVERAL INJURED AS BIASE COMMUNITIES CLASH AGAIN
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By: Fasasi Hammad
The Cross River State Police Command has appealed to residents of the Egbor and Orugbam communities in Biase Local Government Area to remain peaceful and avoid further violence following a renewed outbreak of hostilities that left one person dead and several others injured.
In a statement issued by the command’s spokesperson, ASP Eitokpah Sunday Akata, the police urged both communities to refrain from taking the law into their own hands and instead support ongoing investigations by providing useful information that could lead to the arrest of those responsible.
According to the police, the latest incident occurred on July 4, 2026, when two farmers from Orugbam Community, Erei, identified as Nkeruwem Ikoh and Ukam Ajah Okpan, were reportedly attacked by unidentified gunmen while working on their farms near Egbor Community.
Community sources said the victims were rushed to a hospital for treatment, but Ikoh later succumbed to his injuries, while Okpan remains under medical care.
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The police confirmed that the deceased’s remains had been deposited at Uwana Mortuary in Afikpo, Ebonyi State, adding that investigations were underway to identify and prosecute those behind the attack.
The violence marks a resurgence of a long-standing communal conflict between the two communities, which previously escalated in 2020, resulting in deaths, destruction of property and widespread displacement before peace initiatives restored relative stability.
Following the latest attack, residents reported that many inhabitants of Egbor fled the area out of fear of retaliatory violence, leaving behind mostly elderly people and others unable to relocate.
A former aide to a former Vice President and an indigene of Orugbam, Philip Obin, described the attack as unprovoked and expressed concern that no arrests had been made more than a day after the incident.
Obin alleged that armed men from Egbor Community and their collaborators invaded farmlands belonging to Orugbam residents, killing one person and injuring several others.
He further claimed that the attack occurred shortly after a change of personnel at the Forward Operating Base established by the Federal Government to maintain peace in the area, suggesting that the perpetrators may have exploited a temporary reduction in security presence.
Obin also criticised authorities for what he described as inadequate responses to previous petitions and a lack of support for victims of earlier attacks, warning that continued inaction could encourage further violence and tempt affected communities to resort to self-help.
However, an Egbor youth leader, Davies Ekor, rejected allegations that his community initiated an unprovoked attack. He maintained that Egbor residents were reacting to provocation and insisted that the community remained committed to preserving the existing peace process.
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