The Cross River State police command has deployed a team of anti-riot police men to Bogobiri, an area in Calabar populated by northerners, mainly Hausa Fulani. An armoured tank has been stationed in the area.
Another team of policemen has also been dispatched to Nasarawa Bacoco which is about 14 kilometers from Bogobiri. The policemen are expected to ensure that no harm is done to residents of the areas. Bacoco is a cattle market community, where pastoral traders from the North unload their trucks of cows and goats for sale.
Report of protests in some states in the North has generated panic among the residents from the North, as they fear reprisal attacks if the attack on churches and Christians in the North continued.
Though Calabar is always aloof when it comes to ethnic-religious clashes in the country, northerners in the city are not taking chances as they fear the unknown considering conflicting reports from the North on the extent of destruction and number of people killed.
Fear grips northern residents
Previous riots in the north against Christians had no repercussion on Moslems in Calabar, a situation which over the years has been pushing Hausa and Fulani business men and cattle farmers residing in nearby states like Akwa Ibom and Abia to Cross River State for solace.
But when news of the current violent protest in the North broke out yesterday, the atmosphere in Bogobiri and Nasarawa Bacoco changed to that of anxiety as residents were seen gathered in groups discussing in hushed tones the protest back home and whether it has spread to any state in the South and if the uprising would get to Calabar.
At Bogobiri, all the Hausa people seen were glued to their radio sets listening to either BBC Hausa Service or Radio Nigeria Kaduna Hausa Service for up date on the clashes. None was ready to speak on the situation including Sariki Lawal, leader of Hausa community in Calabar when approached by NEXT. Consequently, the groups have been finding it difficult to venture out of their domain. Whenever they do, they do so in groups and not far into the city centre for fear of the unknown.
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