Youths from the Ekid Nation, comprising Eket, Esit Eket, and Onna, have defied the police orders restricting civic action by protesting the alleged sale of portions of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve and the illegal arrest of Princess Gods’own Udoito.
The protest followed a position by the Unified Youths of Ekid Nation, who accused the Akwa Ibom State government of covertly selling or allocating their ancestral Ekid land to private entities without consultation, consent, or negotiating with them as rightful owners.
The youths who spoke through the Abom Iboro Imose, expressed concern over what they described as a disturbing pattern of intimidation, harassment, and arrests of Ekid indigenes by operatives of the state police command.
They asserted that these actions are allegedly aimed at silencing voices questioning the legality, morality, and transparency surrounding the transactions involving the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve.
Central to the protest was the arrest of Princess Gods’own Udoito, which the youths condemned as unlawful, unconstitutional, and reminiscent of authoritarian practices.
They alleged that she was forcefully taken from her residence and conveyed directly to court without access to her phone, family members, or legal counsel, in clear violation of her fundamental rights to personal liberty, dignity, and fair hearing as guaranteed by the constitution.
The youths insisted that Princess Udoito and others are being targeted solely for their advocacy on behalf of the Ekid people over the Stubbs Forest Reserve.
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They stressed that advocacy, civic engagement, and public interrogation of government actions do not constitute crimes and warned that attempts to criminalize peaceful agitation over ancestral land are provocative and unacceptable in a democratic society.
The youths further accused the police of gross abuse of power, alleging that law enforcement has been reduced to a tool for intimidation and repression rather than the protection of citizens.
They described the denial of access to legal representation and family contact as a deliberate effort to suppress dissent instead of upholding justice.
In their demands, the Ekid youths called for the immediate and unconditional release of Princess Udoito and an end to all forms of arrest, surveillance, intimidation, or harassment of Ekid sons and daughters.
They warned that the continued targeting of the Ekid people for exercising their constitutional rights would be viewed as a deliberate provocation.
Reaffirming their ancestral claim to the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, the youths maintained that the Ekid people possess historical, cultural, and ancestral ownership of the forest reserve, rights which they said cannot be extinguished through force, secret agreements, or administrative actions executed without consultations.
They also demanded the immediate suspension of all sales, allocations, transfers, leases, or concessions relating to any portion of the forest reserve, until all ownership claims are transparently and conclusively resolved through inclusive dialogue with Ekid stakeholders.
