By Assam Abia
But for the swift intervention of the President-General of Ekid Peopleβs Union (EPU), Dr. Samuel Udonsak, the ongoing religious convention of All Nations Christian Ministry International, Eket, owned by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, would have been disrupted by hundreds of angry protesters.
On Saturday, placard-carrying demonstrators stormed the streets of Eket, accusing Governor Umo Eno of complicity in the alleged racketeering of vast acres of land at Akoiyak Ekid. Some acres of the Forest Reserve is said to have been sold to private companies and individuals by agents of the state government without the consent of its rightful owners, the Ekid people.
The protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as βPastor Umo Eno, Stop Stealing Our Land in Akoiyak Ekid,β βForest Reserve Law Is Not Land Acquisition,β βStop Victimizing Ekid People,β and βSack Iniobong Ekong Now.β
Speaking with journalists, a protester who identified himself as Assam Udo, lamented that the Stubbs Creek Reserve Forest, ancestral land belonging to the people of Eket and Esit Eket, has been confiscated and parceled out by the government under Enoβs watch.
βWe are marching to All Nations Christian Ministry International where Umo Eno is hosting a convention. We want the world to hear how wicked a Governor can be,β Udo declared.
Another protester, Mrs. Mfon Akpe, decried how fishing and farming activities have been crippled by companies occupying the land without compensation. She urged Governor Eno to respect the rights of Ekid people, insisting that the Forest Reserve Law does not grant government the license to sell off communal land to private interests.
βThis action is criminal and violates both the Land Use Act and the Nigerian Constitution,β she said.
Calming the angry crowd, EPU President-General, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, pleaded with protesters not to disrupt the church convention, stressing that the church should not be dragged into governmentβs handling of land matters.
βDonβt go to the church. Donβt call for the sack of Captain Iniobong Ekong (Rtd), because he couldnβt have acted without the express approval of the Governor,β Udonsak said.
βThe Pharaoh who denied the Israelites freedom died in the Red Sea. When the time comes, I will personally lead you to the Governorβs house.β Dr Udonsak appealed.
It will be recalled that Governor Umo Eno recently revoked Land Allocation from May 2023 to date, transferred the then Commissioner for Lands, Captain Iniobong Ekong (Rtd), to the Ministry of Trade and Investment, and sacked a Senior Special Assistant on Land Matters, Mr Udeme Daniels, for actions reportedly linked to the unfolding land racketeering scandal.
