By Gabriel Ewepu
Abuja: The Ekid People’s Union, the apex sociocultural organisation of the Ekid-speaking people of Akwa Ibom State,
has warned the public, investors, and corporate entities against engaging in land transactions within the Stubb’s Creek Forest Reserve area of the state.
In a statement jointly signed by the President General of the Union, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, and the Secretary General, Sir Bassey Dan-Abia, in Abuja on Sunday, the EPU asserted that the land lying east of the Qua Iboe River along the Gulf of Guinea, variously called the Stubb’s Creek Forest Reserve and Okoyak, Okoiyak or Akqiyak, is the ancestral land of the Ekid people.
The union pointed out that Ekid ownership of the land was judicially affirmed as far back as 1918 by the Privy Council in London in the case of Ntiaro and Ikpak v. Ibok Etukakpan and Edohoekit, as reported in the Nigerian Law Report (NLR).
According to the EPU, records of the proceedings, including maps and survey plans tendered during the trial, are still available at the British National Library in Kew, Richmond, London.
The EPU asserted that the landmass covers approximately 310 square kilometres and is situated between latitude 4°32’N and 4°38’N and longitude 7°54’E and 8°18’E, extending across parts of Eket and Esit Eket Local Government Areas.
While acknowledging that the area was designated a forest reserve under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930 by the colonial administration, the Union clarified that the designation did not amount to acquisition or deprivation of Ekid ownership rights.
The union explained that the reservation was solely for forest conservation purposes and did not convert the land to Crown Land or land acquired for overriding public interest.
The statement said: “The Ekid people were never divested of ownership of the land and still retain title or deemed right of occupancy under the Land Use Act of 1978″.
The union accused the Akwa Ibom State Government of trying to deprive the Ekid people of their ancestral land and handing over the prized asset away to other entities under the guise of investors.
Consequently, the Ekid People’s Union warned that individuals, corporate bodies or investors who transact business with the Akwa Ibom State Government, the Ibeno people, or any other group as purported landlords over any portion of the Stubb’s Creek Forest Reserve within the stated coordinates do so at their own risk.
The post Keep off our ancestral land- Ekid Nation warns appeared first on Vanguard News.
