Monarch Tackles Group For Meddling In Disputed Forest Reserve

As the warring oil communities of Ekid and Ibeno ethnic nationalities continue to draw battle line over the ownership of the disputed Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, a member of the Ibeno traditional rulers’ council, Chief Udofia Okon Udofia, has warned other interested parties to steer clear.

LEADERSHIP learnt that the convener of a civil society organisation (CSO) – Open Forum Care For Humanity Foundation (OFCHF), Mr Matthew Koffi Okono, has been accused of unhealthy meddlesomeness in the lingering dispute by taking side with Ekid neighbours, but Udofia argued that

“Stubbs Creek belongs to Ibeno by history, law and geography”.

In an interview yesterday at Upenekang, headquarters of Ibeno local government area, the traditional ruler, who doubles as the secretary, Ibeno Clan Council (ICC), warned against offensive propaganda by the CSO, noting that such indulgence has the potential of fuelling the already tense atmosphere around the oil and gas belt of Akwa Ibom.

He, therefore, urged the National Boundary Commission (NBS), the state government and other relevant authorities to intervene in order to avert the looming ethnic war.

“The CSO led by Mr. Okono, masquerading as a legitimate movement, is nothing but a desperate attempt by certain Ekid interests to rewrite history by provoking public sympathy through lies, theatrics, and manipulation.

“The CSO in question is not registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), and its activities have no legal standing.

“Ekid has failed, and will continue to fail to produce a single certified map, Court judgment, or official document proving any legitimate claim over Stubbs Creek Reserve Forest. Instead, they have resorted to using dubious fronts and unverified claims to spread falsehoods,” he stressed.

He recalled that “there was never a 1916 or 1918 Court ruling granting Stubbs Creek to Ekid. The cases they referred to were intra-Ibeno disputes over fishing rights, not land ownership.”

He noted that “no Court, including the British Privy Council, has ever handed Ekid ownership of Stubbs Creek. If such a ruling exists, we challenge them to present it to the public and the state government’s proposed peace committee.”

He faulted Ekid for citing the 1993 Akpata Commission as a basis for land ownership, describing the claim as both misleading and ignorant.

He said: “The report of that Commission was purely advisory and holds no legal weight or gazetted authority. No competent Nigerian Court has ever validated it as a legal basis for land ownership.

“From British maps dated as far back as 1893 to official Nigerian government gazettes, Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve lies firmly within Ibeno territory. The area’s geography, oil infrastructure, and administrative boundaries all support this.

“The Ibeno people have historically occupied and administered the stretch from Qua Iboe River to Atabrikang, including the Atlantic shoreline that forms the boundary with Stubbs Creek forest. Every credible map and legal instrument confirms this reality.

“Ekid’s latest tactics reveals their desperation. From dragging in religious groups, to engaging in libation rituals with so-called prophetesses like Princess Godknow’s Udoito, to attacking and killing, and later courting the Traditional Rulers Council — these antics only expose the absence of substance behind their claims.

“They’ve also tried to explore the political figures by accusing the governor of bias for not seizing land on their behalf — a demand that’s both illegal and provocative.

“Let it be clear that our patience is not weakness. We have remained peaceful in the face of provocation and incessant killings and brutality.