Some documents, including Akwa Ibom State Government memos, posted recently on Facebook have contradicted Governor Umo Eno administration’s position that the disputed Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve belongs exclusively to the state government.
The memos, dated 1998, appear to support the Ekid people’s claim that they are the original owners of part of the forest.
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The memos relate to compensation paid to Ekid communities—referred to as Edo Group of Villages—for land acquired for the expansion of the Mobil Producing Nigeria Qua Iboe Terminal.
In a letter dated 17 February 1998, the then commissioner for agriculture in Akwa Ibom informed the state’s military administrator that the Edo Group of Villages were “original land owners of 171.008 hectares” of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve acquired for the terminal’s expansion.
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The letter stated that, for years, the ministry paid 20 per cent of forest revenue to the community as royalty, while villagers retained rights to fishing, raffia tapping, hunting and harvesting building materials within the reserve.
The letter further explained that Mobil paid N65.5 million as compensation to the government following valuation, but after professional and legal fees, the government retained N45.85 million.
The Ekid communities reportedly demanded 89 per cent of the balance of the money, arguing they had lost both land and livelihood. “The Government offer of 20% was rejected outright by the Edo people,” the commissioner wrote, adding that he was directed to negotiate an acceptable sharing formula.
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A response from the Office of the Military Administrator dated 9 March 1998 approved the payment of N18.34 million to Edo Group of Villages “as compensation for part of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve acquired by the Government,” a decision formally signed by the then-Permanent Secretary, S. I. Akpadiaha.
Rising tension
The memos surfaced amid an escalating dispute between the Ekid people and the Akwa Ibom State Government over the reserve, now central to the routing of the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, an ambitious federal project.
Governor Eno recently warned that the state government would deploy a force equivalent to the “force of nature” against any resistance to the project.
Mr Eno said an organised opposition against the state government takeover of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve might amount to terrorism, a remark Ekid leaders described as being inflammatory and an attempt to criminalise legitimate grievances.
While the government insists the land belongs to the state under existing laws, the Ekid People’s Union, which is leading the resistance against the government’s position, says the issue is about ancestral rights, due process and environmental protection, not opposition to development.
READ ALSO: INVESTIGATION: Under Eno, Akwa Ibom slips deeper into secrecy, violates fiscal law
Tensions have since deepened, culminating in the arraignment of a local advocate accused of defaming the governor over comments linked to the disputed Stubbs Creek.
The people of the area on Monday defied police warnings and staged a protest, demanding the release of the advocate, God’sown Udoito, and pressing home their demand that the forest reserve belong to them.
Attorney general declines comment
PREMIUM TIMES forwarded the old memos to the state Attorney General and the Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, for confirmation and a response.
“The questions you have asked and the issues you raised constitute the issues and causes of action properly placed before the High Court of Akwa Ibom State for adjudication. It would, in the circumstances, be contemptuous of that court to comment and express opinions on these matters,” Mr Udom said in his response.
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