The Akwa Ibom State Government has refuted claims of ownership over the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve made by the Ekid People’s Union (EPU), asserting that the land is legally vested in the state government and not any specific ethnic group.

In a press release issued on Tuesday, the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN, described the union’s assertions as serious misrepresentations capable of undermining public confidence and discouraging investment.

The rebuttal comes amidst rising tensions between the state government and the Ekid community. The EPU, led by its President-General, Dr. Samuel Udonsak, recently issued a caveat emptor warning private investors against land dealings in the reserve. The union cites a 1918 Privy Council judgment (Ntiaro and Ikpak Vs. Ibok Etok Akpan and Edoho Ekid) as proof of their ancestral ownership of the land.

Governor Umo Eno had earlier criticized the union’s stance, describing the resistance to government projects in the area as tantamount to terrorism, a label the Ekid leaders have vehemently rejected.

Addressing the specific legal claims, the Attorney General clarified that the historic 1918 judgment did not grant ownership to any community.

“The final judgment merely dismissed the claims before the court and granted title to no party whatsoever. Any assertion to the contrary is false, misleading, and a distortion of the judicial record,” Udom stated.

He explained that the land was lawfully reserved by the Colonial Government under the Forest Reserve Order No. 45 of 1930, with subsequent amendments in 1941, 1955, and 1962. Upon the change of status, principal rights were forfeited to the government.

“Under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), particularly by virtue of the Land Use Act, all land within Akwa Ibom State is vested in the Governor to be held in trust… Claims of absolute or exclusive ownership based on ancestral or customary assertions are subject to, and regulated by, existing law,” the statement read.

The dispute has threatened to stall major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, which is slated to pass through the reserve.

In the statement, the government assured the Federal Government of its full support and granted full access and Right of Way for the construction of the highway.

It warned that it would take appropriate legal steps against any individual or group publishing criminally defamatory matter that could hinder national development objectives.

While acknowledging that a suit filed by the group is currently pending before a court, the Attorney General urged all parties to refrain from misleading the public and allow the judicial process to determine the outcome.