The Biakpan Traditional Rulers Council and Concerned Citizens of Biakpan Community in Biase Local Council of Cross River State have appealed to the federal and state governments to enforce long-standing court judgments affirming Biakpan’s ownership of disputed land with its neighbour, Etono II.

Briefing reporters in Calabar, Onun Obu Obu Enang, who read a statement on behalf of the council, said the community could no longer remain silent while its people were being killed and properties destroyed under the guise of agitation for land ownership and self-determination.

He called on Governor Bassey Otu, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Director of the Department of State Services, and the National Human Rights Commission to act decisively and ensure full enforcement of the 1986 High Court judgment and subsequent rulings of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

The Biakpan leaders said their community remained committed to peace based on truth, fairness, and respect for the rule of law. “Enough is enough. The time has come for the Nigerian State to prove that no one is above the law and no community is bigger than the state,” the statement read.

They commended Otu and the Biase Local Council Chairman for their swift intervention in the lingering crisis, expressing confidence in the governor’s commitment to restoring peace anchored on justice.

The statement traced the conflict to the aftermath of the Nigerian Civil War, when the Etono II people allegedly began to assert independence and lay exclusive claim to Biakpan communal land, despite sharing a common ancestry with Biakpan.

It explained several judicial pronouncements, including Suit No. C/6/73, Appeal No. CA/E/98/86, and Supreme Court Appeal No. SC.100/1990 (Ojah vs Ogboni), had all affirmed Biakpan’s ownership of the disputed area.
According to the community, successive Cross River administrations, through official letters in 1996, 2007, and 2012, upheld those court rulings and recognised Etono II as part of Biakpan communal land.

The leaders accused Etono II of persistent acts of violence and provocation, including the destruction of religious sites, killings of Biakpan indigenes, and arson attacks.

They alleged that on October 5, 2025, Etono II youths and their hired mercenaries burnt down a multimillion-naira Brotherhood of the Cross and Star Cathedral at New Jerusalem, Biakpan, in violation of a peace accord signed two months earlier.

The statement lamented that despite police reports and eyewitness accounts, no arrests had been made, adding that “aggressors often manipulate narratives to portray Biakpan as the culprit.”

While reaffirming its faith in lawful resolution, the council urged the enforcement of the court judgments in line with Section 287 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and called for the arrest and prosecution of those behind recent attacks.

The statement was jointly signed by Onun Lawrence Ekpezu, Onun Obu Enang, and Chief Godwin Ekpezu on behalf of the Biakpan Traditional Rulers Council and Concerned Citizens.

However, leaders of Etono II have dismissed the allegations as misleading and one-sided, insisting that their community has long suffered attacks and discrimination from Biakpan.

Speaking through a community representative, Enene Eke, Etono II leaders said they remained committed to peaceful coexistence and dialogue but urged the Cross River State Government and security agencies to ensure an impartial investigation into the recurring violence.