By Assam Abia
The controversy over the ownership and management of Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve (Akoiyak Ekid) has taken a new dimension, as a group under the banner of Concerned Citizens of Ekid Nation has called out Akwa Ibomโs prominent Christian leaders, questioning their silence over alleged injustices against the Ekid people.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Peters B. Enoh jnr, Coordinator and Jacob Ntekim, Secretary, titled โStubbs Creek Forest Reserve Imbroglio: Are the Fathers of Faith Silent?โ, the group accused the state government of neglect, victimization, and double standards in the handling of the disputed forest reserve.
The statement specifically challenged Akwa Ibomโs leading clergymen, Archbishops, Bishops, Apostles, and Reverends, who openly backed Governor Umo Eno during the 2023 elections, to speak up now that allegations of โdark traditional practicesโ and injustice have surfaced.
โIf the fathers of faith were loud in supporting him into power, why are they silent now when his government is rumored to flirt with traditionโs darkest tools?โ the group queried.
According to the group, the courts and the Akwa Ibom State Map Law of 2023 have consistently affirmed that Stubbs Creek belongs to the Ekid people, yet the government has failed to enforce these judgments. Instead, they allege, the land is being parceled out to companies without the knowledge or consent of its rightful owners, the Ekid people.
They further accused the governor of punishing the Ekid people for resisting the alleged illegal trade of their ancestral land, citing unfulfilled promises of access roads to the sea, neglect of their demands, and the use of security agencies to disrupt livelihoods at Esit Eketโs palm plantation.
The group also raised moral and spiritual concerns, claiming that one of the stateโs religious figures turned political leader has allegedly resorted to โjujuโ and traditional rites in pursuing interests around the Stubbs Creek issue.
โThis is not just a legal betrayal, it is a spiritual and moral one. To deny a people their ancestral land is to strip them of identity and dignity,โ the statement read.
The Concerned Citizens of Ekid Nation warned that the credibility of Christianity in governance is at stake if faith leaders remain mute while injustice thrives.
โSpiritual fathers, you cannot preach holiness on Sunday and watch injustice reign on Monday. If your voice falls silent, the people will conclude that your silence is complicity, and the gospel you preach is selective,โ the group declared.
They stressed that justice, integrity, and faith demand that truth be upheld and injustice corrected, urging the โfathers of faithโ to speak out in defense of morality and justice.
The release concluded with a reminder that Akwa Ibom people supported Governor Umo Eno partly because of the influence of the clergy, warning that history will judge the church if it fails to defend the truth at this critical moment.
It could be recalled that penultimate week, three Paramount Rulers, namely; HRM J. J. Obosi, of Oruk Anam, HRM Edidem Ita E. Okokon of Okobo and HRM Edidem Clement Ekpenyong of Ibesikpo Asutan LGAs, โinvadedโ the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Esit Eket LGA, HRM Edidem Ubong Peter Assam, in what insiders described as โa dubious and fraudulent assaultโ, carrying diabolical ancestral items known in Ibibio parlance as โ Akati Mbiamโ and โAyioโ, claiming that they were errand boys of Akwa Ibom State TRC, and by extension, the State Governor.
Their mission was to summon an Esit Eket born Princess Godโsown Udoito, whom they accused of handling a sacred object exclusively reserved for men and of pouring libation against Governor Umo Eno. Princess Udoitoโs alleged โoffenceโ, as narrated by the three royal fathers, stemmed from her protest over the controversial Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve (Akoiyak Ekid) land deal and the illegal sale of Ekid ancestral land, allegedly by Governor Umo Eno, to private interests without the consent of its rightful owners, Ekid Nation.