Traditional leaders and elders of Ifiayong Usuk in Uruan Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, have expressed growing concern over the rising number of undeveloped properties in the community, warning that the trend is fuelling insecurity.
In a statement jointly signed by the Village Head and Clan Head of Central Uruan, His Royal Highness Edidem Anthony E. Asuquo, and the Secretary of the Village Council, Etubom Patrick Effiom Okon, the council noted that many plots of land purchased in the village have been left abandoned after being fenced with concrete walls and iron gates.
They revealed that some of these properties have now become criminal hideouts, serving as bases for armed robbery and other illegal activities, thereby threatening the peace and safety of residents.
The statement also pointed to increasing land disputes and encroachments, blaming them on the reluctance of property owners to develop or monitor their land. This neglect, they said, has emboldened land speculators and intruders.
The council announced that it would no longer entertain complaints stemming from such negligence and issued a final reminder to landowners to take urgent action to secure and develop their properties.
“This is a final call to all property owners in Ifiayong Usuk to act responsibly. We will not continue to watch our community become a haven for crime due to carelessness,” the statement read.