By Dennis Udoma, Uyo
The battle over Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve has taken a fiery turn as Ibeno Clan Council, through its Secretary, Chief Udofia Okon Udofia, has accused the Eket People’s Union (EPU) of peddling falsehoods, twisting history, and blackmailing Governor Umo Eno to avoid a peace committee probe that would expose their “baseless claims.”
Udofia, speaking in Upenekang, headquarters of Ibeno Local Government Area, described EPU’s rejection of the Governor’s peace committee as an act of cowardice, stressing that Eket has no facts, maps, or legal judgments and documents to prove ownership of Stubbs Creek Forest.
It would be recalled that, Eket people, through publications in the media had recently asked Governor Eno to take necessary steps to implement the various purported court rulings to affirm their ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest, rather than raising a new committee to adjudicate on the matter with their Ibeno neighbours.
But that call did not settled well with Ibeno, as they repelled Eket position with historical facts and records.
“You can not talk about Stubbs Creek without Ibeno,” Udofia thundered. “That expanse of the Reserve Forest Creek is the very landmass of Ibeno. From colonial maps to present-day Akwa Ibom boundaries, it is clearly Ibeno territory. Eket people are only living on lies.”
He rubbished Eket’s reliance on the 1916/1918 court case as a “landmark judgment,” calling it a distortion.
“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 only a house-boy to Chief Ntiedo and was brought as a witness in the matter. How can Eket now claim ownership based on another man’s family quarrel?”
Udofia went further, accusing the British judge who gave Eket a favourable ruling at the court of first instance of corruption and bias.
“Judge Webber was married to an Eket woman and lived among them. He connived to hand over Ibeno land. But Ibeno appealed, and Webber’s ruling was rubbished where the appeal court declared that ” the court is not a father Christmas to award what you did not pray for.” Ibeno won at the appeal.
Eket instituted another case on the same Stubb Creek ownership, and in 1980, judgment came in Ibeno’s favour with damages of N200,000 awarded against Eket. These are with documents, and that’s the truth they want to bury.”
Challenging EPU’s claim that they gave Ibeno land for fishing and settlements, Udofia shot back: “Is Eket the Federal Government? If they claim they gave us land, let them name their forefathers who signed the treaty or produce any documents to back their claim. We can trace ours to treaties with the Portuguese and Europeans before Eket even existed.”
He branded EPU’s leaders as instigators of violence in the area, saying they are afraid of any initiative that will bring permanent peace to the area even the proposed Governor Eno’s peace committee because it will strip bare their propaganda.
“They have no history, no maps, no facts. That is why they are running away from the Governor’s committee. If they have any documents, let them bring them. If not, they should hide their faces in shame.”
While pledging Ibeno’s loyalty to Governor Eno’s peace initiatives, Udofia warned that Ibeno’s patience should not be mistaken for weakness.
“We will not go to war because the Governor has stepped in to keep the peace. But let no one think Ibeno cannot defend itself against any aggression and hostilities. Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve is ours; always has been, always will be.”
Chief Udofia reminded the Ekets to pursue the Stubbs creek ownership case that is pending at the appeal court in Calabar and also challenge them to come out and display their documents to the world at the proposed Governor Eno’s peace committee and stop their propaganda.
