Cross River village head, 200 families displaced by soldiers lament from hideouts

The colony caput of Odonget assemblage successful Obubra LGA successful Cross River State, His Highness Chief Richard Ahim Ayan, and different assemblage stakeholders who escaped into bushes and neighbouring communities are lamenting implicit their wives, children, and different loved ones who are said to beryllium missing oregon person been killed.

Last Thursday astatine astir 1:00 a.m., soldiers from the 13 Brigade of the Nigerian Army invaded the assemblage pursuing reports that the locals requested amerciable miners to wage N1,000 each earlier passing with their minerals. The soldiers reportedly burnt down much than 50 houses, including that of the colony head, killed respective villagers, arrested some, portion much than 200 women, aged persons, and children fled their homes and colony for safety.

The soldiers person imposed a dawn-to-dusk curfew.

Precious minerals, including a precise lucrative 1 locally called ‘Cusa’, utilized for gunpowder, person been mined illegally successful communities successful adjacent Etung LGA implicit the past 3 years by men from bluish parts of Nigeria successful alleged connivance with almighty individuals.

“More than 500 equipped soldiers are inactive occupying our village, making it precise unsafe for our return. The full colony is simply a shade municipality but for the soldiers sauntering about,” said a younker leader, ...