Unyenge faults Ekid’s claims over Stubbs Creek Forest ownership
Unyenge, a community in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, states that it is closely monitoring the ongoing negotiations between the Ekid Union and Ibeno over the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest.
The controversy, according to community leaders, was reignited by the Ekid Union’s renewed push to assert dominance and control over the forest, which spans four local government areas: Mbo, Ibeno, Esit Eket and Eket.
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Unyenge faults Ekid’s claims over Stubbs Creek Forest
Etim Ekpimah and Kingsley Iko
Unyenge, a community in Mbo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, states that it is closely monitoring the ongoing negotiations between the Ekid Union and Ibeno over the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest.
The controversy, according to community leaders, was reignited by the Ekid Union’s renewed push to assert dominance and control over the forest, which spans four local government areas: Mbo, Ibeno, Esit Eket and Eket.
Earlier conflicts arising from competing claims to the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve reportedly claimed several lives, yet lessons from those tragic encounters appear to have been largely ignored. The dispute between the Unyenge and Eket communities was particularly intense, with reports of multiple casualties. Despite this history, tensions have persisted, with Eket accused of failing to learn from past experiences.
Unyenge leaders estimate that between 70 and 75 per cent of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve lies within Unyenge territory. They note that the community has, over the years, experienced repeated confrontations, largely attributed to claims and activities by Eket within the forest reserve.
Economic activities such as lumbering, fishing, farming, and raffia palm tapping are reportedly carried out by Eket residents in the area, with many residing in Unyenge while engaging in these activities.
A community leader, Chief Itama Ekpe, stated that Unyenge does not share a direct boundary with Eket, except through Ntak Inyang in Esit Eket at Nkung Nkanga, adding that the two communities are also separated by a valley.
Ekpe recalled that in 1994, Eket took Unyenge to court over the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest but lost the case. He added that Eket also lost the appeal it subsequently filed in Calabar.
He explained that the legal dispute involved Unyenge, representing the Ibeno axis, and Eket, representing the Ekid axis, over the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve in Akwa Ibom State.
According to Ekpe, the claims by Eket and Esit Eket to the 310.8-square-kilometre forest reserve are based on assertions of ancestral ownership. However, he argued that residency or economic activities do not confer ownership of land. He added that Eket and Esit Eket referred to the forest as Akoiyak largely because they fished there at a time when Unyenge fishermen were trading in Cameroon.
He maintained that there is no ambiguity regarding the ownership of the Stubbs Creek Forest, insisting that the evidence supporting Unyenge’s claim is overwhelming.
In view of the recurring conflicts, the Akwa Ibom State Government has expressed concern and reiterated that the land was legally constituted as a forest reserve under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930 and is held in trust by the governor under the Land Use Act of 1978.
As of January 2026, the dispute remains unresolved and is considered a potential threat to major projects in the area, including the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and the proposed BUA oil refinery. The state government has recently reaffirmed its authority over the land, dismissing recent claims by the Ekid People’s Union as a misrepresentation of the 1918 judicial record.
Another community leader, Mr Bassey Ekpimah, described Eket’s claims as lacking substance, noting that the principal owner of the disputed land has remained silent, while Eket, which he said occupies only a small portion of the area, continues to assert ownership.
“We are simply observing how the situation unfolds. The land on which the BUA refinery is being built does not belong to Ibeno or Eket; it is part of the Unyenge land.
“We share a direct boundary with Ibeno at Attiah, KM 10, but we do not have a direct boundary with Eket. Nevertheless, we are watching how matters play out, and any attempt by anyone to encroach on Unyenge territory will be resisted,” he added.
Ekpimah further alleged that the Ekid people are attempting to distort facts to gain undue advantage over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, which he said is geographically far removed from them. He noted that in making these claims, they have consistently failed to acknowledge Unyenge, which owns the largest portion of the forest reserve, compared with neighbouring communities such as Ibeno, with whom Unyenge shares boundaries around the reserve.
He said that if any community in Eket or Esit Eket has proximity to the forest reserve, it is Ntak Inyang in Esit Eket, which directly neighbours Unyenge, describing this as a well-established and verifiable fact.
“From Unyenge Beach, along the axis leading to Ibeno, there are numerous Unyenge settlements where residents have lived for generations, engaging in fishing, farming, trading and other legitimate activities. From time immemorial, all homage, royalties and rents from these settlements have been duly paid to Unyenge as the rightful landlord.
“These settlements include Urua Inyang, Inne Mmayen, Attak Ntokono, Inne Ufeh, Utie Mmi, Ndanga Avinghi, Ede Apah Unyenge, Attak Mmansang, Iti Ezek, Inne Apa-Utong, Attak Udim Upe, Nyafa Utie (New Barracks/New Town), Attak Ivah, Attiah and Nta-Ukang, among others.
“Residents of these fishing and farming settlements have consistently paid royalties, tributes and other dues to Unyenge, either annually or as otherwise determined by the Unyenge Council of Chiefs,” Ekpimah stated.
Community leaders insist that Unyenge’s ownership of the largest portion of the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve is clearly reflected in authentic colonial maps, as opposed to what they described as doctored maps allegedly relied upon by Eket to pursue an unwarranted claim in a bid to gain undeserved recognition.
They further noted that several court cases between Unyenge and Eket have affirmed these facts, with Unyenge repeatedly emerging victorious. One of the more recent cases, decided by an Akwa Ibom State High Court, ruled against Eket, although other suits instituted by Eket against Unyenge are still pending.
It was gathered that in the 1970s, a former Governor of Cross River State, Udokaha Jacob Esuene, attempted to cede Stubbs Creek to Eket.
He reportedly sought to persuade Unyenge to align with Eket, a move that was strongly opposed by the then President of the Oron Development Union, Mr Ambe Bassey, alongside other prominent leaders of the Oron ethnic nationality.
The Oron leaders condemned the move and challenged it in court. It was further learnt that the former Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, also played a role in handling the case. At the end, Eket was defeated in the legal tussle.
