Hundreds of women from Ekid Nation, operating under the banner of Akoiyak Ekid Women, staged a protest in Eket Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, over what they described as a deliberate attempt by the state government to deny their ancestral ownership of the disputed Stubb’s Creek Reserve.
Dressed in black, the women marched through major streets of Eket carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Akoiyak Is Ekid Ancestral Land,” “Stop the Plundering of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve,” “Privy Council Judgment of 1918 Affirmed Ekid Ownership,” and “Umo Bassey Eno, Stop Insulting Ekid.”
The protest followed a recent press release by the state government disputing claims that the 1918 Privy Council judgment conferred ownership of Akoiyak Ekid on Ekid Nation.
The protesters described the statement as false, provocative, and an attempt to rewrite history.
Tensions reportedly intensified after the Ekid People’s Union (EPU) issued a caveat emptor, warning against the alleged sale of portions of Akoiyak Ekid land to private investors by the state government without consultation with the indigenous owners.
Anger also grew following reports that Governor Umo Eno described the EPU’s action as terrorism.
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Addressing journalists, the leader of the women, Obonganwan Eunice Udom, demanded an apology from the governor.
She accused him of insulting the Ekid people, despite having lived and worked in Eket for over three decades.
“The governor must retract his statement and apologise for calling our people terrorists. We will not accept this humiliation,” she said, warning that the protest would continue until justice is done.
A youth leader, who spoke anonymously, declared that Ekid Nation would withdraw political support for the governor’s second-term ambition.
Meanwhile, EPU President General, Samuel Udonsak, urged calm but insisted that Ekid’s legal claim to the land remains solid.
He said the caveat was necessary to stop unauthorized land sales.
Also reacting, Obongiwaad Captain Willie Mbong, President of Afigh Iwaad Ekid, warned that the government’s position had worsened relations between Ekid and the state government and could inflame tensions with neighboring Ibeno communities, who also claim the land.
