As crisis in Henshaw Town community of Calabar South continues without any immediate hope of reconciliation in sight, a retired High Court Judge, Justice Charles Efanga Archibong has appealed to Gov Bassey Otu to intervene in the lingering crisis.
In a letter, sited by our reporter, and addressed to Gov Otu, Justice Archibong sought an audience with the Governor to ascertain ways to ending the crisis
“We are a community council in the local government area of Calabar South of Efik extraction, Henshaw Town being a principality of Efik Eburutu Kingdom.
“We hereby request an audience with the Governor to discuss burning issues which touch upon the peaceable existence of people in our community.
“This request for an audience is made after several attempts to amicably resolve differences have failed. We think at this point, and indeed for quite a while now, guidance from the government would be beneficial to and for our community,” the letter read in part.
In the said letter, the retired Judge alleged that “The Commissioner of Police in the State has, at the instance of a powerful and monied complainant, decided to criminalize a civil dispute over land.”
Recall that the Commissioner of Police had in Suit No. MC/350120/2025, few days ago, slammed a six-count charge on Justice Archibong, Andem Abasi Ekeng, Michael Effangha, Effangha Okon and others.
They were charged for felony, threat to life, intrusion into Esierebom land, destruction of plantain farm belonging to HRM Etubom Nyong Efiom Okon (Paramount Ruler of Calabar South), amongst others.
Etubom Archibong said, in his letter, that the request for an audience with the Governor “follows upon instances of malicious prosecution of Henshaw Town Council functionaries, sponsored by Etubom Nyong Efiom Okon.”
Etubom Nyong Effiom Okon, he added, “embarked on a six-year campaign, ongoing, directly but mostly through surrogates to undermine, disrupt and take over Henshaw Town Council.”
In another letter addressed to the Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice, Justice Archibong said, “We ask for the Hon. Attorney General’s intervention.”
According to the Efik leader, while the Police was taking sides in the matter, the Paramount Ruler was the mastermind of the almost six years of crisis in sprawling Henshaw Town community due to his alleged land control obsession.
Efforts to speak with the Police Public Relation Officer, DSP Irene Ugbo, on the allegations did not succeed as her telephone line could not connect.
However, in an interaction, the Paramount Ruler of Calabar South, HRM (Etubom) Nyong Efiom Okon, denied fanning embers of crisis in the community.
He said he was not averse to peaceful resolution of the crisis as he had tried to bring every aggrieved person together to no avail.
“Few years ago, we had a reconciliatory meeting where we made peace at the Henshaw Town Council Hall. Hundreds of our people were there for that occasion and were happy to see peace returned to the community. I know how much resources I spent in that occasion for entertainment and other logistics.
“Surprisingly, few days after that event, another pandemonium broke out and we found ourselves in court again. I am not an enemy of peace but in some cases, it is good to allow the law to take its course,” he stated
PillarToday reports that the Henshaw Town crisis, which started in 2018/19 has polarized the once united community and had resulted in the locking up of the Henshaw Town Council secretariat located at No 1 Inyang Ekeng street, temporarily, and imprisonment of some high-ranking personalities.
Henshaw Town Council (HTC) was formed in 1901 to adjudicate and preside over communal matters for peace and unity. The leadership of the HTC had carried out that role religiously until 2018/2019.
When the crisis erupted, the Nigerian Police and the Department of State Service, DSS, were brought into the matter but peace had remained evasive.
Since then, multiple court cases have become the order of the day even as certain individuals also elected to take the law into their own hands with bad blood and unparalleled animosity reigning supreme.
Checks from multiple sources showed that the root causes of the lingering crisis are both succession to HTC throne as well as squabbles over land ownership.
While the Paramount Ruler is insisting that Etubom Charles Archibong is not the President of Henshaw Town Council as he (Archibong) claims, Justice Archibong is accusing HRM Nyong of using his position to ‘control’ communal land against laid down traditional practices.
In an interview, the Paramount Ruler said, “The Henshaw Town council has a constitution which spells out that before you become the president of the Council, you must be a senior Etubom in the council and must also be a clan head.
“There is never a time we screened him as a member of Henshaw Town Council. I am the only senior Etubom in the council today, and I’m also a clan head.
“I am the President of Henshaw Town Council till next tomorrow. He is only forcing himself to become an alternate president which is not in the HTC constitution. He is not qualified to be president,” he stated.
Reacting, Etubom Archibong faulted the Paramount Ruler, adding “Nyong (The Paramount Ruler) was once the leader of Henshaw Town Council. In May 2019, he was lawfully removed as Chief Executive of Henshaw Town Council.
“I was subsequently inducted into the Council and eventually replaced Nyong as Acting President (termed as ‘Alternate’) of the Council.
“Nyong Effiom Okon went to court the same year to challenge his removal as Acting President of Henshaw Town Council. He lost that action in the Cross River State High Court in December 2019. He never appealed his loss.”
He said further “Since the Paramount Ruler was elevated under Ayade’s administration, his story line is ‘I own all the undeveloped land in Henshaw Town.’
“Those lands and all the tenancies and leases of built areas in Henshaw Town have been managed communally for Henshaw Town families by Henshaw Town Council, since 1901.
“Now with this new position of ‘Paramount Ruler’, the current occupant wants to control communal land in Henshaw Town. What is happening is not over succession.
“There is an ongoing personal land grab by the Paramount Ruler of Calabar South and his recruited Village Heads. In our tradition Village Heads and Clan Heads do not own or control communal land. Henshaw Town Council does.
“Henshaw Town Council has among its members both Clan Heads and Village Heads. In our tradition and culture, being a Clan Head or Village Head does not confer you with ownership, control or management of any lands beyond the extent you are authorized by the land owning families of the community.
“Henshaw Town Council are the managers of communally-owned land in the Efik principality of Henshaw Town.
“The Paramount Ruler will forever be disposed to settlement in which he is handed control of Henshaw Town land. That will not happen unless the state government wants to change the law and our tradition,” he had told this writer.
When asked to shed light on this, HRM Okon rejected the allegation of being land speculator but explained that what caused arraignment of Justice Archibong was that he trespassed to a portion of land at Esierebom which has never belonged to him (Justice Archibong).
“The land in question at Esierebom is my land. Esierebom is owned by Ewa Ekeng Efiom Ewa Nsa clan and I am the clan head of Ewa Ewa Ekeng Efiom Ewa Nsa clan. I was even the one who de-forested that particular land he went into.
“He has no business whatsoever in Esierebom community. He is not a village head of any village in Henshaw Town community and is not a clan head,”
As the accusations and counter-accusations ensue, our reporter deduced however that the crisis is deeper than envisaged and multifaceted and that it is only the Executive powers that can help calm frayed nerves.
However, whether or not the Governor would wade into the matter remains to be seen, and until that happens, the people of Henshaw Town would continue to bear the brunt of the crisis directly or indirectly because, as they say, when two elephants fight, the grass and trees suffer
