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Residents of Obutong Community in Calabar, Cross River State, have linked the devastating landslide triggered by flooding to the wrath of the community’s sea goddess, “Anansa”.
According to traditional beliefs in parts of the Old Calabar area, Anansa is described by some local communities as a water deity associated with rivers, the estuary, and spiritual protection.
However, oral traditions differ from one community to another, and there is no single, universally accepted account of Anansa across all Efiks or Cross River communities.
Mr. Emmanuel Okon, Youth Leader of Obutong community, said the disaster had left residents heartbroken after destroying businesses, properties and livelihoods within days.
Okon described the landslide as unprecedented, saying that its magnitude had overwhelmed residents, while parts of the affected area continued collapsing till date.
According to him, “the community believes that the disaster transcended natural causes and traditional cleansing rites and prayers must accompany engineering interventions.
“The sea goddess, ‘Anansa’ must be appeased through customary rites to restore peace and prevent further destruction.”
He urged custodians of the community’s traditions to immediately perform the necessary cleansing, saying that residents must reflect on actions that might have provoked the calamity.
He also appealed to the Federal and State Governments for urgent intervention, describing the affected road as a federal route which required emergency attention.
Okon appealed that stranded containers and heavy vehicles trapped near the damaged corridor underscored the urgent need for a temporary access route and immediate engineering response.
In his reaction, the state Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Bassey Mensah, described the landslide as a natural occurrence requiring urgent technical intervention to minimise further devastation.
Mensah added that erosion experts recommended diverting water from one drainage channel to another to reduce pressure and slow the advancing landslide.
He noted that although the project would require huge funding, immediate efforts would focus on redirecting floodwater to prevent additional destruction.
The commissioner cautioned residents against removing containers or scavenging within the disaster zone, warning such activities could trigger fresh collapses and endanger lives.
He appealed for public cooperation with government and engineers, and pledged that prompt intervention would significantly reduce the disaster’s impact while long-term solutions would be developed.
Also speaking on the disaster, an engineer who did not want his name mentioned, disclosed that the massive landslide which had created a huge gully and still expanding was a result of poor maintenance and management.
According to him, if you put up an infrastructure in an area that is disaster prone, you need to observe it from time to time to ensure it is in a good state.
”If you notice any slight issue, you quickly address it before it becomes a disaster. The local community may attribute it to one goddess or another.
‘’However, the truth is that early this year, the problem was noticed but as a people, we did nothing and with the coming of the rains, the problem is exacerbated, I hope the temporary solution works,” he said.
As at the time of this report, trucks of massive boulders for remedial works were seen approaching the site of the devastation that started on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, and is still expanding.
By Christian Njoku
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