The Akwa Ibom State Government has reaffirmed its lawful authority over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve, dismissing as false and misleading recent claims by a group known as the Ekid People’s Union regarding ownership of land within the reserve. The government also restated its full support for the Federal Government’s Coastal Highway project.
In a statement issued by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, the state government said it was compelled to address the matter in the overriding public interest, despite the existence of a pending suit instituted by the same group before a court of competent jurisdiction.
The statement clarified that the historic case of Ntiaro and Ikpak v. Ibok Etok Akpan and Edoho Ekid, decided by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 1918, did not confer ownership of the Stubbs Creek land on any ethnic group or community. Rather, the final judgment merely dismissed the claims before the court and granted title to no party. Any contrary interpretation being circulated, the government said, amounts to a distortion of the judicial record and is misleading.
According to the Attorney-General, the Stubbs Creek land was subsequently and lawfully constituted as a forest reserve by the Colonial Government of Nigeria under Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930, with amendments in 1941, 1955, and 1962. Upon its reservation, principal rights over the land were forfeited to the government, which has since administered the area in line with applicable laws.
Reaffirming its constitutional mandate, the government noted that by virtue of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Land Use Act, all land within Akwa Ibom State is vested in the Governor, to be held in trust for the use and common benefit of all Nigerians. Consequently, claims of absolute or exclusive ownership based solely on ancestral or customary assertions remain subject to existing laws.
The state government also categorically denied allegations of fraud or misrepresentation concerning the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve or investments within the area. It warned that appropriate legal action would be taken against individuals or groups involved in the dissemination of false, misleading, or defamatory information capable of undermining public confidence or discouraging investment and infrastructural development in the state.
In furtherance of national development objectives, the Akwa Ibom State Government assured the Federal Government of its full cooperation, including the grant of unhindered access and Right of Way for the construction of the Coastal Highway through any part of the state.
The statement concluded with a reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to the rule of law and the resolution of disputes through due judicial process, while urging all parties to refrain from misleading the public and allow matters currently before the courts to take their proper course.