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Ownership of Calabar: Quas, Efuts Task Efiks On Peace

This Day (Lagos)
NEWS
June 19, 2004
Posted to the web June 21, 2004

By Amby Uneze
Calabar
Peace in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, may shortly be disrupted,
courtesy of the ongoing struggle by the three major ethnic groups, Quas, Efuts
and Efiks for nativity rights over the city.
As the supremacy contest between them rages, the Qua Clan Constituted Assembly
and Efut combined assembly have jointly warned their Efik counterparts that
they will not condone any act of lawlessness in the municipality.
The warning was made in Calabar, Thursday while briefing newsmen on what they
called "veiled threats through various media publications, utterances and
actions to make Calabar ungovernable" by the Efik people.
Spokesman of the Quas and Efuts Combined Assembly, Chief Lawrence Ekong Eta
said that the Quas and Efuts are the original landlords of Calabar Muncipality
and Calabar South and are peace-loving and law-abiding people. He stressed that
"We the Quas and Efut of Akpabuyo, Bakassi, Odukpani, Calabar South local
government areas and Calabar Municipality are aware of moves by certain persons
to disrupt the peace of the public in Calabar, this shall be resisted with all
might."
He argued that they the original owners of Calabar, "have been pushed to the
walls and shall resist any further attempt by an insignificant group of people
to undermine our integrity."
Eta revealed that the Quas and Efuts were the first to migrate from Central
Africa through Cameroon as the semi-Bantu people to settle in Calabar.
In his words, "the Quas and Efuts are the rightful owners of Calabar with over
333 square metres of land belonging to them.
The clans assembly expressed disappointment over the alleged claim of Efiks who
merely control only one square metre of land and turning round to claim
ownership of Calabar metropolis.
The spokesman who was flanked by other kingmakers of the two clans including
His Royal Highness Muvi Efiong Okokon of Mbukpa, further said: "as peace-loving
people, we don't fight over who becomes our Ndidem, but the Obongship had
always been controversial."
He recalled that the Efiks were driven away by the people of Arochukwu in Abia
State and people of Uruan in Akwa Ibom State because of their terrorist
tendencies.
Eta contended that the Efiks have started again with the unfounded claims of
the ownership of Calabar, adding "we shall not allow them, we shall not go to
war."
Speaking also, Muvi Efiong Okokon from Efut Clan described the Efiks as
oppressors who do not believe on the survival of others.
He, however, commended the state governor, Mr Donald Duke (who is an Efik) for
his untiring efforts in trying to resolve the crisis.

   

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