PRESS RELEASE
GOV. UMO ENO INVADES EKID COASTAL VILLAGES WITH SPECIAL JOINT TASKFORCE FROM ABUJA TO SUPPRESS THE STATE MAP LAW.
Information reaching me this morning of 30/01/2025 is that special joint taskforce from Abuja have arrived from Abuja and went straight to Mkpanak village in Ibeno to tell the village head to give them some youths to help invade Stubbs Creek to avoid any Ekid person from accessing the land.
Recalled, about 4 weeks ago the governor had invited the Nigerian Airforce to establish a base at the Mobil Airstrip in Eket allegedly with intent to start aeriel bombing of Ekid people anytime they go on procession to press home for their inalienable rights forfeited by the State Government . In March 2024 the governor deployed joint taskforce to invade Esit Urua oil palm plantation to stop the Ekid people of Esit Urua from accessing the plantation which is their only means of livelihood.
In 2023 the governor invaded Etebi Esit Eket with soldiers under the pretext of preventing the stealing of palm fruits from Akwa Palm Oil estate now a private company called Dakadda Global Oil Palm Limited owned by the governor according to TheMail Newspaper reports. These soldiers are have abandoned official rules of engagement and are now harvesters of private oil palm fruits in private oil palm plantation and regularly invades peoples’ houses according to my information, to seize palm fruits on the pretext that they were being harvested from Dakkada plantation. One may ask, if assets and properties in Dakkada Oil Palm estate is to be secured, why invite in soldiers?
The situation in Esit Urua and Etebi has caused untold hardship to the people under this acute economic hardship.
We also have information that the deputy governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi is allegedly shopping for a favourable judge to nullify the state map law which validity is being challenged in court by the Ibeno refugee settlers and co.
Eket people will use all these persecution as index for the 2027 political decision.
Meanwhile, I call on Ekid people to be ready to pour out into the streets and lockdown the state’s economy on 28 February 2025 in commomeration of 109 years anniversary of the Stubbs Creek judgment and protest against militeralization of Ekid by Governor Umo Eno in an effort to imtimidate Ekid people to back out from the demands to enforce court judgments on the Stubbs Creek and so that the governor and his Commissioner for Lands will keep leasing lands in the Stubbs Creek for Millions of Dollars to foreign and local companies, keeping the proceeds thereof to themselves to the deprivation of the Ekid landowners.
Manfred Ekpe, Jnr., LL.B (Hons)
Int’l Coordinator, Itid Afigh Ekid Union (Eket Patriotic Platform) 30/01/2025.
