Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno has announced the takeover of the disputed land in oil communities of Iwuochang, Iko Nsong and Esit Urua group of villages following communal violence in the areas.
The visibly angry governor made the declaration when he visited the critically injured casualties of the two – day violence over the disputed Stubbs Creek forest at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Uyo, the state capital.
Eno earlier lamented the destruction of lives and properties in the communal war between Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno Local Government areas when he visited the communities at the weekend.
He directed the Commissioner for Lands, Capt. Iniobong Ekong (rtd), to take inventory of the destroyed properties including houses and shops razed in the mayhem.
Vowing to bring the perpetrators to book, the Governor disclosed sponsors of the dastardly act are known already to government.
“I have credible intelligence on those who are sponsoring our young people to go out and cause this mayhem.
“After this warning today, if this happens again, I can assure you that government will call you out, pick you up and you will face the penalty squarely.
“So I want to appeal to our political gladiators to stop taking sides and fanning the embers of disunity. We are leaders and we cannot be sponsoring young people to take the laws into their hands. We will not allow it,” Governor Eno vowed.
Reminding the gladiators of their filial and communal ties, the governor recalled that; the two communities are united in so many ways.
He noted, “There is high level of inter-marriages between yourselves, and I do not see any reason for these repeated clashes. By the grace of God, we are determined to put an end to this problem. I had to evacuate 16 people who were wounded in the course of this unnecessary war”.
The Governor strongly warned the Transition Chairmen of the three affected three Local Government areas of Eket, Esit Eket and Ibeno, charging them to take responsibility in maintaining law and order in their respective domains.
“If any of this should happen again in your domains, you know you are transition chairmen; I will remove you immediately and I promise you, I will,” he warned.
On the main cause of the conflict, the Stubbs Creek Forest, Governor Eno, declared that “the land belongs to government.”
“Stubbs Creek, I want to state emphatically belongs to neither Eket, Esit Eket or Ibeno. It is a forest reserve which belongs to government.
“Since 1930, I have seen all the gazettes, even that of 1966 till date. So those who have gone in there have essentially been encroaching on government’s land and this must stop today. I have directed the Ministry of Lands to come up with the entire plan and we will soon issue a proclamation on it.
“Government needs Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve as a source of carbon credits, which ultimately will provide jobs for the youths of these areas.”
