Fresh violence has erupted along the Ikom–Obubra border communities in Cross River State, despite ongoing peace efforts by Governor Bassey Otu to end long-standing communal hostilities in the area.

The renewed attack, which occurred on Saturday, October 11, 2025, left a youth identified as Junior Ebi Anara of Okosora Clan, Ofutop, in Ikom Local Government Area, with gunshot wounds.

Witnesses said the victim was shot by suspected armed men from the opposing community after he attempted to stop them from harvesting ripe cocoa pods on disputed farmlands.

The incident reportedly occurred around Mfam Osusoh Okpon, a border settlement between Ikom and Obubra, where tension has lingered for years among the Alesi, Ekukunela, and Agbaragba communities in Ikom, and Ochon, Isabang, and Odonget communities in Obubra.

“We heard that some men had gone to steal our crops. We went to stop them and asked them to leave our cocoa. One of them suddenly opened fire, and one of us was hit. The rest ran for safety,” a witness who spoke through an interpreter said.

“People came to inform me that my son had been shot at the farm. I followed them there and took him to the hospital. They said he tried to prevent the men from taking away stolen cocoa before he was shot,” the victim’s father, Mr. Anara, told newsmen.

Although the identities of the attackers remain unclear, residents expressed concern that violence has persisted despite the governor’s repeated directives urging all parties to maintain peace and avoid provocation.

Community sources disclosed that the incident was the third in recent weeks, even as peace talks continue under Governor Otu’s mediation.

Many farmers in the disputed area have reportedly abandoned their farms for fear of further attacks, raising concerns about food security and economic losses in the cocoa-producing belt.

Governor Otu had earlier warned the warring groups to maintain the status quo while government works out a lasting solution, but the latest violence indicates that the fragile peace remains under serious threat. (The Guardian)