Tension Brews in A/Ibom Oil Communities Over Ownership of Disputed Forest Reserve

Governor of Akwa Ibom, Umo Eno

Fresh tension is brewing between two oil-bearing communities,Ibeno and the Ekid ethnic nationality—in Akwa Ibom State, over ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, as signs of renewed hostilities emerge.

The forest reserve, portions of which have been annexed by the Akwa Ibom State Government and allocated to firms such as BUA Petrochemical Refinery and Fertilizer Company, has remained the epicentre of a long-standing land dispute between the Ibeno and Ekid communities.

The Ekid People’s Union (EPU), led by its President General, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, insists that the resource-rich reserve—containing oil, gas, aquatic ecosystems, solid minerals, and arable land—belongs to the Ekid nation. The EPU cites colonial and post-colonial judicial precedents to support its claim.

However, the Ibeno Clan Council (ICC), through its Secretary, Chief Udofia Okon Udofia, has strongly refuted these assertions, describing them as “a sentimental fabrication rooted in bias and historical distortion.”

“The EPU is peddling falsehoods, twisting history, and attempting to blackmail Governor Umo Eno in order to avoid the peace probe committee set to be chaired by the governor himself,” Udofia alleged during an interview in Upenekang, headquarters of Ibeno Local Government Area, on Sunday.

He dismissed the EPU’s rejection of the governor’s peace initiative as “an act of cowardice,” asserting that Ekid lacks historical evidence, maps, legal judgments, or any authoritative documents to prove ownership of Stubbs Creek.

“You cannot talk about Stubbs Creek without mentioning Ibeno. The forest reserve is fundamentally the landmass of Ibeno. From colonial maps to present-day Akwa Ibom boundaries, it is clearly Ibeno territory. The Eket people are merely building their claims on lies,” he said.

Udofia rejected the Ekid community’s reliance on a 1916/1918 court case, which they have called a landmark judgment, calling it a misrepresentation of historical facts.

“That case was between two Ibeno families—Chief Ntiedo of Upenekang and Chief Ikpak of Mkpanak. No Eket man was involved. The so-called Mr. Edohoeket was merely a houseboy to Chief Ntiedo and only appeared as a witness. How can the Ekid now claim ownership based on a family dispute that had nothing to do with them?” he asked.

He further accused the British judge who ruled in Ekid’s favour at the trial court level of corruption and ethnic bias.

“Judge Webber was married to an Eket woman and lived among them. He connived to hand over Ibeno land. But Ibeno appealed, and the appellate court overturned Webber’s ruling, stating that ‘the Court is not Father Christmas to award what was not prayed for.’”he stated.

According to Udofia, Ibeno won the appeal. He added that Ekid later instituted another suit over the same Stubbs Creek ownership, which ended in 1980 with a judgment in favour of Ibeno, along with ₦200,000 in damages awarded against Ekid. He emphasized that these judgments are documented facts, which the Ekid community is trying to suppress.

Responding to the EPU’s claim that Ekid gave land to Ibeno for fishing and settlement purposes, Udofia scoffed:

“Is Ekid the Federal Government? If they claim they gave us land, let them name the ancestors who signed such a treaty or produce any documents to support it. We can trace our claims to treaties with the Portuguese and other Europeans, long before Eket even existed.”he added.

He accused EPU leaders of instigating unrest in the region and of being afraid of any initiative such as Governor Eno’s proposed peace committee that could expose their propaganda.

“They have no history, no maps, no facts. That is why they are avoiding the governor’s peace committee. If they have any documents, let them present them. If not, they should hide their faces in shame.”he stated.

While reiterating Ibeno’s loyalty to Governor Eno’s peace initiative, Udofia warned that the community’s patience should not be mistaken for weakness.

“We will not go to war because the Governor has intervened to maintain peace. But let no one believe that Ibeno cannot defend itself against aggression. The Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve is ours,always has been, always will be.”he added.

He urged the Ekid to pursue the pending appeal case at the Court of Appeal in Calabar and challenged them to bring their documents before the proposed peace committee rather than resorting to what he termed as media propaganda.

“The world knows the truth: Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve belongs to Ibeno. The lies from both Eket and Esit Eket LGAs cannot rewrite history,” he declared.