School kids and lecturers are but to return to their schools in the Ijiegu-Yache Community of the Yala Local Government Area in Cross River State, although normalcy appears to be returning following deadly clashes between them and Tiv settlers from Benue State.
Checks by Media Talk Africa as of Wednesday confirmed that the 4 main schools and 4 secondary schools, two of them state government-owned, are still abandoned as pupils, college students, and lecturers are scared to return.
The checks additional confirmed that not one of the schools was burnt as a result of they’re situated in the center of the Ijiegu Yache Community, whereas a number of homes belonging to the community and people of the Tivs had been burnt, and about 12 individuals from either side had been killed.
A youth chief in the community, Augustine Odey Adula, in an interview, confirmed that the individuals who fled in the course of the warmth of the communal warfare have began to return in trickles.
“Our people have started to return home. Schools have not started because of apprehension of attacks by the Tivs,” he mentioned.
He known as for extra presence of the troopers and different safety brokers as a substitute of proscribing themselves to solely the city.
“The troops are on ground though but are not everywhere because of their limited numbers”, he mentioned.
Adula additionally disclosed that it was solely yesterday that the market reopened with few actions, including that almost all of their folks cannot still entry their farm merchandise due to worry of being attacked by the Tivs.
Reacting, a Tiv community chief in Yache, Chief Jacob Uswa, mentioned although some normalcy appeared to have returned on their aspect, too, the Yache boys had been still killing them.
“As at Sunday 8 October 2023, they beheaded three of our boys and two others who went to their farms to get cassava for fufu. They took away the heads. There is still tension, although the soldiers who were sent to keep the peace are still around,” he mentioned.
When contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Irene Ugbo, mentioned she couldn’t affirm the most recent killing.
Commissioner for Education in the state, Senator Stephen Odey, mentioned he has held a number of peace conferences with either side and different initiatives to revive normalcy.
He believed that these efforts would yield constructive outcomes to allow the youngsters to return to high school.
8 schools still shut in C’River community as deadly clashes persist
