Cross River CP Omosanyin threaten disarmament operation in Biakpan, Etono communities

The Commissioner of Police (CP) in Cross River, Mr. Olusegun Omosanyin, has threatened to carry out a comprehensive disarmament operation in the Biakpan and Etono communities of Biase Local Government Area.

This stern warning follows a renewed outbreak of hostilities between the two communities over a land dispute.

CP Omosanyin disclosed this to newsmen on Thursday in Calabar during an interview concerning the long-standing land dispute, which has led to fresh conflicts over the past three months.

“The CP said both communities have given the state and local government a lot of trouble, while they refused to honour the command invitation three times.”

According to the CP, both communities have been a persistent source of trouble for the state and local government, and their leaders have repeatedly failed to honor police invitations—three times to date.

He noted that the State Security Adviser (SSA) had visited the communities more than four times to advocate for peace.

Omosanyin stated that while the people of Biakpan claim to possess a Supreme Court judgment granting them rights over Etono, the police’s primary concern is the intermittent security breaches occurring in these communities.

 “Atimes, they would kidnap from either side, maybe injure their victims or even get them killed and I have warned them that the way they are going, they are pushing the government to the brink.

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We are going to move to both communities and disarm their gunmen.”

The CP revealed that despite inviting all youth leaders and their assistants from both communities, none have honored the invitations, with some even vowing never to comply.

Omosanyin emphasized that he has informed the elders of both communities to ensure their youths surrender their arms and embrace peace, or face a disarmament operation that will encompass both areas.

He clarified that the disarmament operation would be a joint effort involving all security agencies in the state, including the military.

“I have told them that we would ensure that both communities are cordoned while we carry out our search to recover all those weapons they are being used to perpetrate wanton killings and crimes,” Omosanyin said.”