Nine children from Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State remain missing following a violent attack on the community on Christmas Eve, 2024.
The attack, reportedly carried out by assailants from Esit-Eket and Eket LGAs, stemmed from a longstanding boundary dispute between the communities.
Community youths and parents have expressed deep concerns about the fate of the missing children.
According to the Youth President of Ndito Eka Iba, Ukot Robert, some parents fear the worst, believing their children may have been killed during the attack, as there has been no trace of them since December.
He revealed that recent intelligence suggests the attackers are still active in the area, ambushing and harming residents along the coastal axis.
In response, local youths recently apprehended five individuals attempting to destroy properties and handed them over to the police.
Robert lamented the continued assaults on the community by neighboring groups, linking the conflict to Ibeno’s refusal to relinquish land under a proposed remapping of Akwa Ibom State.
He explained that the crisis intensified during the tenure of the previous state administration when oil-producing communities, including Ibeno, strongly opposed the remapping exercise.
He further noted that the community has organized a search team to locate the missing children while formally reporting the incident to the police for further investigation.
Emmanuel Opolo, the Ijaw Youth Chairman in Ibeno LGA, also condemned the repeated attacks, warning that continued aggression could provoke retaliation.
He disclosed that Ibeno had suffered four attacks between February 2024 and February 2025.
The affected community has called on security agencies and relevant authorities to intervene urgently, ensure justice, and intensify efforts to find the missing children.