Stubbs Creek Crisis: A Scholar’s Account of Tragedy and Displacement
By Ime Ekpo
A Scholar’s Perspective on Communal Violence
As an academic who has studied the socio-economic dynamics of the Niger Delta, I have watched with growing alarm the escalation of violence over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve. This is not merely a land dispute; it is a humanitarian catastrophe that has shattered countless families. The story of Mr. I. Ekpo and his family stands as a painful testament to the human cost of this conflict.
According to the Foundation for Partnerships Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND Foundation), communal conflicts over political, land and natural resources caused over 140 fatalities in Akwa Ibom State between January 2019 and December 2023 . The crisis follows a predictable yet devastating pattern—when commercial interests, such as the BUA Group’s planned refinery, indicate interest in the oil-rich area, tensions flare, and ordinary citizens pay the ultimate price .
The Ekpo Family Tragedy: A 2019 Case Study in Loss
The Ekpo family’s ordeal began in June 2019, when tensions over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve reached a fever pitch following BUA Group’s announcement of a refinery project in the area. What followed was a devastating attack that claimed the lives of Mr. I. Ekpo’s two young sons and left his elderly mother severely handicapped.
According to accounts I have gathered from survivors, armed youths from the opposing faction launched a coordinated assault on Ibeno communities. The attackers, reportedly armed with machetes and guns, showed no mercy. Houses were torched, and families were torn apart.
A Man’s Cry for Help
Mr. Ekpo who recounted his experience in a private interview I conducted. His words still haunt me: He told us how the men came with machetes and guns. They were burning houses. I watched my neighbours fall.” The trauma of losing my children proved unbearable. Unable to cope with the grief and the constant fear of further attacks, my ex wife, Mrs. Ekaette Ekpo made the agonising decision to divorce me, her husband and left the remnants of her family behind because of fear of repeat of similar tragic event.
“I cannot even describe the pain,” he told me. “To lose your children in such a violent way… and his mother, she will never walk again. This is not a fight about land anymore; it is a fight that has consumed our future.” He also regretted not listening to the warning of his wife not to take the children to the village due to this reoccurring conflicts.
The 2019 Escalation: A Warning Ignored
The events of 2019 serve as a critical backdrop to the Ekpo family’s tragedy. The dispute, which also had political disagreement between locals had simmered for decades, erupted publicly following BUA Group’s interest in the reserve . The Ekid People’s Union (EPU) issued a bold “notice to quit” to BUA, warning they would “chase away any investors till justice is done”.
The response from Ibeno was equally defiant. The Joint Council of Mpono Nnito Ibeno and Ulok Ulok People Assembly rejected the notice as “baseless” and vowed to defend BUA’s operations, warning: “If one leaf is taken from Ibeno into Eket, we will enter and collect 12 leaves” .
The paramount ruler of Esit Eket, Edidem Ubong Peter Assam II, expressed concern that the dispute was “an attempt to scare away potential investors” . The Ibeno people ominously recalled the “drum of war” sounded by Eket before the communal crisis which claimed many lives in 1993 . This warning proved prophetic.
Other Families Affected by the Conflict
The Ekpo family’s tragedy is not unique. Numerous families have experienced similar horrors as a result of this enduring conflict.
The Ndito Eka Iba Village Attack (December 2024)
In December 2024, attackers from Eket launched a devastating assault on Ndito Eka Iba village in Ibeno LGA. Businessman Sampson Akpan was killed, and nine children were reported missing . His widow, Immaculata Akpan, fled with her four children, pleading for government intervention to stop what she described as the “extinction” of her people.
The Inua Eyet Ikot Community Attack (August 2025)
In August 2025, hoodlums invaded the Inua Eyet Ikot community in Ibeno, leaving 12 persons injured and hospitalised . Mr. Daniel Asuquo, popularly known as “Dan Baba,” was among the gunshot victims, caught in the crossfire . Properties worth millions of naira were vandalised and set ablaze during the invasion.
An eyewitness who pleaded anonymity reported:
“At about 1:30 am on Friday, we heard gunshots in our community, and we immediately alerted the police, who quickly mobilised to rescue us. The police team arrived when the attackers had escaped. A search was conducted where one of the victims, Mr. Daniel Asuquo, alias ‘Danbaba’, was seen lying in a pool of his blood from gunshot wounds” .
The Iwuochang Community Attack (February 2024)
On February 27, 2024, two residents were reportedly killed, several others injured, and over 20 houses, including a church, destroyed in Iwuochang community in Ibeno LGA during renewed clashes over the disputed oil-rich Stubbs Creek . The Foursquare Gospel Church, Iwuochang, was among the structures torched during the attack.
The Transition Committee Chairman of Ibeno visited victims of the attack at the Hospital, with some of them left with deep machete cuts on the stomach, forehead, and other dangerous injuries.
A Widening Conflict: The Unyenge Dimension
The ownership dispute has taken another dimension as the Unyenge community in Mbo Local Government Area has declared itself the “major owner” of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve .
Chief Itama Ekpe, an Unyenge community leader, stated:
“The claims by Eket and Esit Eket to the 310.8-square-kilometre forest reserve are based on assertions of ancestral ownership. There is no ambiguity to the ownership of the Stubb Creek Forest as the evidence supporting our (Unyenge) claims are overwhelming” .
Earlier conflicts between the Unyenge and Eket communities reportedly claimed several casualties, yet lessons from those tragic encounters appear to have been largely ignored .
Historical Context: The Roots of Conflict
To understand the tragedy of the Ekpo family and countless others, one must understand the broader context of this decades-old dispute.
Colonial Origins and Legal Claims
The Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, covering approximately 310.8 square kilometres, was officially established in 1930 . The Ekid people (Eket and Esit Eket LGAs) base their claim on a 1918 Privy Council judgment and other colonial-era documents . The Akwa Ibom State government, however, maintains authority over the reserve, citing the 1999 Constitution and the Land Use Act of 1978 .
The 1996 Catalyst
The creation of Ibeno Local Government Area in 1996 from the old Eket Division remains a source of deep grievance for the Ekid people, who feel aggrieved by what they term Ibeno’s “independence” . This has created a dynamic that some have compared to the Ife-Modakeke relationship in Osun State—a rivalry marked by periodic violence .
The Government’s Response
Governor Umo Eno has taken a firm stance, declaring that the Stubbs Creek reserve belongs to the state government, not any particular community. He warned:
“Stubbs Creek, I want to state emphatically, belongs to neither Eket, Esit Eket or Ibeno. It is a forest reserve which belongs to the government. Since 1930, I have seen all the gazettes, even that of 1966 till date. So those who have gone in there have essentially been encroaching on the government’s land and this must stop today” .
The governor also issued a stark warning to the crisis sponsors, stating he has “credible intelligence on those who are sponsoring our young people to go out and cause this mayhem” .
Conclusion: A Call for Justice
As I reflect on the Ekpo family’s tragedy and the countless other families affected by this conflict, I am reminded that behind every statistic is a family whose life has been irrevocably shattered. The victims of this conflict, whether from Eket, Esit Eket, Ibeno, or Unyenge, are ordinary citizens who have been caught in the crossfire of a dispute that has festered for generations. Their voices must be heard above the political posturing and legal manoeuvring.The violence must end.