Tensions exploded into violence early Monday as residents of Iso Bendeghe and Boje communities in Boki Local Government Area of Cross River State clashed over a long-standing land ownership dispute, leaving two people dead and three others critically injured.
The victims, reportedly ambushed and killed while working on their farms, have sparked renewed fears of a full-blown communal crisis in the region. Eyewitness James Ben confirmed that the three wounded individuals are currently receiving treatment at an undisclosed healthcare facility.
Locals say the two communities have been locked in hostilities for decades over boundary claims, with intermittent flare-ups often resulting in casualties and destruction of farmland. Despite repeated interventions in the past, no lasting peace agreement has been successfully enforced.
Attempts to get an official response from the Chairman of Boki LGA, Eti-Eka Beatric Nyiam, proved futile, as she declined to comment. The Cross River State Commissioner of Police, Olusegun Omosanyin, also did not respond to press inquiries at the time of filing this report.
Security analysts warn that the pattern of rural land disputes escalating into bloodshed is becoming alarmingly frequent in Cross River’s central belt, often fueled by weak enforcement of conflict resolution mechanisms and inadequate state presence in volatile communities.
Residents of both communities are now appealing to the Cross River State Government and security agencies to intervene urgently before the death toll rises or the conflict spreads to adjoining villages.
State security operatives have reportedly been placed on alert as local leaders call for an emergency peace dialogue to forestall reprisal attacks and restore calm across the region.
