MONDAY April 28, 2025 |
By thenewsdesk.ng
Dennis UDOMA
The people of Ibeno Local Government in Akwa Ibom State, have vehemently send an appeal to Governor Umo Eno to call the people of Eket and Esit Eket to order, following their allege land grabbings of their community lands by invaders from Eket and Esit Eket.
Speaking to newsmen at Upenekang on Saturday, the Secretary of Ibeno Clan Council, Chief Udofia Okon Udofia said, these illegal activities orchestrated by the people of Eket and Esit Eket were responsible for some of the attacks in Ibeno villages like Iwochang, Inua Eyet Ikot and Ndito Eka Iba.
He said, the attempt to remap some Local Government Areas by the former Governor, Udom Emmanuel, ceding some oil bearing villages into his local government in Onna, and others in the State in order to benefit from the Host Community Development Trust Fund (HCDTF), was one of the remote causes of the crisis in Ibeno LGA, while Ekid People’s Union headed by Dr Samuel Udonsak is used as a platform to incite coordinate attacks against Ibeno.
Just recently he quoted the President of Eket People’s Union (EPU), Dr. Samuel Udonsak at their Quarterly General Meeting held on April 11, 2025 as saying that, “Esit Urua people in Eket LGA now have unfettered access to Ibeno Palm Plantation and, commended Governor Umo Eno, Commissioner of Police, Akwa Ibom State, and His Highness, Dr. Ferdinand Ikwang for their dignified and commendable role in bringing the impasse to an end”, adding that, the silence from the Governor or government quarters over the statement by EPU and the refusal to refute same tantatmounts to acquiescence.
According to Chief Udofia, “because of this, we are calling on the State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno to call the people of Eket and Esit Eket to order; and also urge the security agencies to arrest and prosecute anybody inciting or sponsoring violence in the area.
“We will not have peace if the government could not tell the people of Esit Urua in Eket to stay away from the Palm Plantation and abide by the 1980 judgment that was in favour of Ibeno.
“The land dispute case which Eket sued Ibeno was decided in favour of Ibeno in 1980. They later appealed the judgment at Appeal Court in Calabar. Instead of them following up on the case, Eket decided to cut corners by hiding under their ally, the former governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel resorting to remapping, so that they can take our land, which we have promised whoever is involved that we would never allow one inch of it to be ceded to Eket or Esit Eket.
“We see the former Governor Udom Emmanuel as the proginator or instigator of this problem between us and Eket, Esit Eket, Onna, Mkpat Enin in Ikot Abasi LGAs”.
He stated that, they are pained by the fact that, the State government has been paying lip services to their plights and leaving the people in anguish, recalling that, Governor Eno after the February 26, 2024 attack on Iwochang village in Ibeno LGA, had directed that the waring parties should stay away from the disputed area and promise to compensate and support the victims of the attack but, more than one year now the governor has not fulfill his promises.
“Up till now, the government has not done anything even with the crisis of that magnitude. Neither was there any relief from Akwa State Emergency Management Agency ( AKSEMA), Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, nor National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).
“Why the Governor is not paying attention to our concerns may be politically, because he has his businesses in Eket, and would not want to incur the wrath of Ekid people, but whatever are his wealth today comes from Ibeno.
“Secondly, the Governor has a second term ambition and with the crisis between Eket and Ibeno, he feels Ekid people would be a threat to his second term ambition, and as such, would sit on the fence without coming out to be firm on the matter.
But, we are reminding the governor to fulfil the promise he made to the victims of the attacks and Ibeno people in general by compensating the victims and ensuring that, justice prevails on this matter.
“The Governor should tell Eket or Esit Eket people to remain where they were because, by the creation of Ibeno Local Government Area as shown in the map of Akwa Ibom, all those areas belong to Ibeno.
“We will not have peace if the State Government can not tell Eket people to stay away from our lands” recalling the Ndito Eka Iba mayhem last December 24, 2024 where a resident was beheaded and several children missing”.
Chief Udofia however, disproved the Commissioner of Police argument that, the issue of the 9 missing children at Ndito Eka Iba was not true, and queried what was the role of the Police, when the crisis was reported to them.
He accused the security agencies of compromising the situation by allowing their neighbours to attack Ibeno continuously without them doing anything.
Chief Udofia, called on the Governor to among other things; acknowledge the different ethnic groups in the State; and act as a matter of urgent public importance give Ibeno a sense of belonging, as the Goose that lays the golden eggs, that contributes to the State and national developments.
