The protracted ownership dispute over the Stubb Creek Forest Reserve between the people of Ibeno Local Government Area and the Ekid Union shows no sign of abating, as fresh accusations of hostility and vendetta have been leveled against the Ekid People’s Union (EPU).
Governor Umo Eno has reaffirmed the state government’s position, rejecting claims of the Ekid nation over the reserve.
The governor maintained that the land was lawfully designated as a forest reserve under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930 and is held in trust by the governor in line with the Land Use Act of 1978.
Speaking to journalists in Upenekang, Ibeno, the Secretary of the Ibeno Clan Council, Chief Udofia Udofia, alleged that rather than pursue legal remedies or participate in a peace committee earlier proposed by Gov. Eno, the EPU resorted to insults, incitement, and personal attacks against the governor and state institutions.
Udofia described the recent rhetoric directed at the governor as deliberate and calculated, accusing the Ekid union of attempting to undermine the dignity of the office and discourage potential investors.
According to him, the union’s conduct has evolved from a legitimate grievance into what he termed “weaponized hostility.”
He claimed that tensions escalated after Gov. Eno declined to endorse what he described as “false ownership claims” over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, also known as Odorokuku/Utan Ibeno.
Udofia said the governor’s refusal, grounded in legal records and his duty to all citizens, marked a turning point that triggered sustained confrontation from the union.
“The lawful decision of government was met not with dialogue, but with vendetta,” Udofia said, adding that the union abandoned constructive engagement in favor of sustained attacks on the state.
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He further warned that the posture adopted by the EPU poses a threat to investor confidence and could jeopardize key infrastructure and economic projects in the state.
He cited investments and projects involving companies such as BUA, Seplat, Tulcan, as well as the coastal highway, as targets of what he described as rhetorical sabotage.
“Investors thrive on predictability and stability,” Udofia said. “Capital does not negotiate with chaos; it simply leaves.”
Udofia emphasized that Gov. Eno’s stance was an act of responsible governance rather than oppression, insisting that no governor sworn to protect the collective interest of the state could relinquish public assets to sectional or ethnic pressure.
“The law does not yield to volume, and historical records do not disappear under insults,” he stated.
He concluded by warning that while governments may change, official records endure, and development once lost is difficult to regain, stressing that no group has ever succeeded in forcing truth or institutions into submission through intimidation.
