Coalition Raises Alarm Over Arrest Of Gov Eno’s Critic, Demands Justice

A coalition of youth groups, civil society and socio-cultural organisations has condemned the arrest Wednesday of one of the fiercest critics of Governor Umo Eno’s style of governance, Princess Godknows Udoito, a lone protester who had been accusing the administration of being lopsided in the spread of development across the state.

The critic LEADERSHIP learnt, had been invoking curses on the governor on social media for allegedly neglecting the Ekid land where the governor lived and established businesses in the hospitality industry and other ventures before becoming Governor in 2023.

However, her arrest, according to community stakeholders including the Ekid People’s Union (EPU) led by the national president, Dr. Samuel Udonsak; the secretary general, Bassey Dan Abia Jnr; the Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman and former minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Nduese Essien, followed her disagreement with the governor, for alleged seizure of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, without compensation.

Also, calling for her immediate release, the EPU, the Network Advancement Program for Poverty and Disaster Risk Reduction (NAPPDRR) led by its founder and executive director, Alhaji Emem Edoho, and other community stakeholders condemned the arrest.

The leaders called for the immediate release of Lady Udoito, for onward prosecution in the law court.

“Princess Godsown Udoito, is a courageous advocate for land rights and environmental justice. Her detention embodies the struggle against oppressive rule and the fight for freedom.

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that,” the group quoted the late Martin Luther King in his advocacy for justice and freedom.

“We stand with Princess Udoito, shining a light on the injustices surrounding the Stubbs Creek forest Reserves,” they affirmed, and quoted Frantz Fanon’s disposition that – “Each generation must, out of relative obscurity, discover its mission, fulfill it, or betray it,” to back up their stance.