The latest appeal for calm by the member representing Ikom/Boki Federal Constituency, Hon. Victor Abang, over the renewed Boje–Isobendeghe crisis may sound reassuring on the surface, but it has also opened a much bigger conversation about leadership, responsibility and the actions or perceived lack of them; taken by political leaders over the years.
Abang, reacting to the renewed tension, condemned the violence, described the recurring crisis as an embarrassment and urged the affected communities to embrace peace and dialogue.
He also commended the security agencies for their intervention and praised the Boki Local Government Chairman for efforts to de-escalate the situation.
There is certainly nothing wrong with calling for peace. The problem, however, is that the people of the affected communities have heard calls for peace many times before.
What they need now is not another carefully worded appeal after tensions have escalated. They need to know what their political representatives have done, and are prepared to do, to ensure that the same crisis does not return again.
The Boje–Isobendeghe crisis is not a new development. It is part of a troubling history of recurring disputes, tension and violence in the area.
That history inevitably raises questions about the role of political leadership, particularly the representative of the constituency at the National Assembly.
For someone who now says that “enough is enough”, residents and stakeholders may reasonably ask: when exactly did it become enough?
Was it enough when earlier confrontations occurred?
Was it enough when tensions repeatedly resurfaced in Boje and surrounding communities?
And when these issues persisted, what major legislative or institutional intervention was pursued to address the underlying problems?
These are legitimate questions, not accusations.
A federal lawmaker has more avenues for intervention than issuing statements. Through the National Assembly, constituency engagements and direct interaction with federal agencies, a representative can push issues onto the national agenda, demand answers from relevant authorities, advocate for security intervention and initiate discussions aimed at finding lasting solutions.
That is why Abang's latest statement inevitably invites scrutiny.
If the crisis is truly an “embarrassment”, as he has described it, then the people deserve to see more than condemnation whenever another outbreak occurs.
They deserve sustained leadership.
They deserve intervention before violence erupts, not only appeals after it has happened.
They deserve a representative willing to pursue the matter relentlessly until the underlying disputes are properly addressed.
And this is where Abang's latest intervention may appear, to some observers, less convincing than it would have been if accompanied by a detailed account of previous actions taken to resolve the crisis.
What motions have been pursued?
What federal agencies have been engaged?
What meetings have been convened?
What concrete proposals have been put forward?
What mechanism is being developed to prevent another cycle of violence?
These are the questions that matter.
There are also political questions that cannot simply be wished away.
Some residents and political actors have, at various times, raised concerns about the political dimensions of the crisis and pointed fingers at local political figures, including the APC chapter leadership in Boki and its chairman, Kevin Njong.
Those claims remain allegations and should not be treated as established facts without credible evidence. But allegations involving political actors deserve transparent clarification, particularly when the individuals involved occupy positions of influence within the communities.
Rather than allowing suspicion to fester, political leaders should welcome scrutiny and provide answers about their involvement, interventions and positions on the crisis.
The same standard should apply to Hon. Victor Abang.
If he is genuinely determined to see an end to the violence, then this is an opportunity to demonstrate it through action.
The most convincing response to the crisis would not be another appeal asking combatants to lay down their grievances.
It would be a sustained political push for a lasting solution.
It would be leadership that remains engaged when the cameras are gone and the headlines have moved elsewhere.
It would be an insistence that the historical issues driving the conflict are properly examined and addressed.
It would be the mobilisation of community leaders, security agencies, government authorities and other relevant stakeholders around a permanent peace framework.
In other words, peace should not begin with a press statement and end with the deployment of security personnel.
It should begin with political courage and continue with concrete action.
Abang's words therefore deserve to be turned back to him.
“Enough is enough.”
Yes, enough should be enough.
Enough of recurring violence.
Enough of destruction.
Enough of communities living under the shadow of another confrontation.
But perhaps enough should also be enough of political leaders appearing only when the crisis has already escalated.
The people of Boje, Isobendeghe and surrounding communities deserve leaders who do more than condemn violence after it occurs.
They deserve leaders who will confront the problem before it becomes another headline.
So, while Abang's call for calm should be welcomed, it should also be subjected to the scrutiny that comes with public office.
The real test of his concern will not be the statement he has issued today.
It will be what he does after the statement.
If “enough is enough” truly means what it says, then the people should see the action that makes those words credible.
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