By Our Correspondent Cross River | January 16, 2026
Just before dawn on Friday, the creeks of Akpabuyo told a different story.
From waterways long associated with fear, extortion and sporadic violence, dozens of armed young men emerged, not to fight, but to surrender.
In a development security officials describe as a turning point, militants operating in the southern Cross River voluntarily laid down their arms, embracing the state government’s amnesty programme in a rare show of collective withdrawal from violence.
The exercise, conducted at Atimbo Rear Area under Operation OKWOK, fell within the Area of Responsibility of Headquarters 13 Brigade, Nigerian Army.
By daybreak, what began as a controlled military engagement had become a carefully choreographed peace handover.
Two militant camps dissolved themselves in one move.
The first, led by ThankGod Ebikontei, popularly known as Ayibanuagha, presented 39 fighters. The second, commanded by John Isaac—alias Akpokolo brought forward 41 members of his group, widely known along the waterways as the Akpokolo Marine Forces or Border Boys.
In total, 80 fighters stepped out of the creeks and into an amnesty process that security sources say had been months in the making.
The surrender was not symbolic.
A significant cache of weapons and equipment was voluntarily handed over, including AK-47 rifles, pump-action guns, a Mark 4 rifle, a G3 rifle, multiple single-barrel guns, magazines, speedboats, boat engines and assorted military kits.
Of particular note to security officials was the surrender of a C4 explosive charge and live ammunition items that underscored the operational capacity the groups once possessed.
Brigadier General PO Alimikhena, Commander of 13 Brigade Nigerian Army, described the development as a “confidence-building milestone” that validates the blend of sustained military pressure and non-kinetic engagement.
“This voluntary surrender shows that consistent operations, combined with constructive dialogue and strong collaboration with the Cross River State Government and other security agencies, can deliver peace,” he said.
“We will continue to secure the environment while supporting lawful initiatives that reintegrate repentant youths and ensure lasting stability.”
Following the disarmament, the former militants were formally handed over to the Cross River State Government’s Rapid Response Team.
They are currently undergoing profiling by the Department of State Services (DSS) at Muka Sam Hotel in Ikot Ansa, Calabar, a procedural step that marks their transition from combatants to beneficiaries of the amnesty framework.
Security analysts see the Akpabuyo development as one of the most consequential peace moves in Cross River in recent years, particularly in a region where maritime crime and youth militancy have disrupted fishing, commerce and cross-border movement.
The Nigerian Army credited the success of the operation to what it called “effective civil-military collaboration,” singling out the Cross River State Government under Governor Bassey Edet Otu for sustained political backing, coordination and logistical support.
Beyond the immediate optics of surrendered weapons, officials say the real test lies ahead: reintegration, monitoring and preventing a relapse into criminality.
Headquarters 13 Brigade reaffirmed its commitment to consolidating the gains, warning that while the door to peace remains open, security forces will maintain pressure against any group that chooses violence over dialogue.
For residents of Akpabuyo, the early-morning surrender carried a powerful signal that the creeks, for once, may be yielding to calm rather than conflict.
The Army has urged the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies, insisting that the breakthrough in Akpabuyo is not an endpoint, but a foundation for a more stable Cross River State.
