Ekpene Ukim Community, Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, has allegedly snubbed the Deputy Governor of the state, Senator Akon Eyakenyi, over the mediatory role she played to end a land dispute that lasted for 76 years.
The allegation was levelled against the community by the village head of Ikot Edong in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, Chief Nyong Etim Offiong, in an interview with journalists on Thursday.
Recall that The Crest had earlier reported that the Deputy Governor had, in the month of March this year, intervened in the protracted land dispute said to have started in 1948, which involved Ikot Edong and Ndon Ikot Itie Udung Communities, both in Nsit Atai Local Government Area, and Ekpene Ukim Community, Uruan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.
The report said the intervention of the Deputy Governor came as a result of the role the Transition Committee Chairman of Nsit Atai, Hon. Emem Ibanga, member representing Uyo /Ibesikpo Asutan/Nsit Atai/ Uruan Federal Constituency, Hon. Mark Esset, Paramount Ruler of Nsit Atai, His Royal Majesty, Edidem Peter Okon Effiong and others played to end the many years of bloodbath in the communities.
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As a sign of peace agreement among the three communities, the Akwa Ibom Deputy Governor was said to have planted trees along the boundaries, putting limits to which the communities could go in their ownership of the land.
However, speaking on new developments, the village of Ikot Edong, Chief Nyong Etim Offiong, who spoke through the secretary of the village council, Mr. Okon Effiong Etim, alleged that one of their sons, Anietie Etim Inyang, was attacked and given machete cuts while working on his farm in May this year by the youths of Ekpene Ukim Community.
The village head also alleged that Ekpene Ukim people had constantly encroached into their own portion of the land and also threatened them with talks of a fresh fiercer communal crisis, a development he said had counted as nothing, the peace overtures and boundary demarcation exercise by the Akwa Ibom State Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi.
Chief Nyong further alleged that Ekpene Ukim people had sold some of the portions of the land belonging to them, but had not tempered with the portions belonging to Ndon Ikot Itie Udung Community, the third village in the matter.
He said he was not surprised of the development in view of the fact that Ndon Ikot Itie Udung is large and with a reasonable youth population that could withstand any attack from Ekpene Ukim.
He said he was certain that Ekpene Ukim people were emboldened to turn their attention to Ikot Edong, apparently due to its small size in population.
According to the village head, the land, Ndong Okono, Ekwe and Obot Oquong which sits on the three communities, was however cut out for government for its development, while the remaining portion was well demarcated for them.
But he wondered why Ekpene Ukim people had chosen to show so much of discontent and greed, after the Deputy Governor’s intervention was embraced by all the three communities.
He therefore, believed that the action of the people of Ekpene Ukim was a show of disregard to the peace overtures instituted by the Deputy Governor.
“ After the Deputy Governor came here and demarcated the disputed land with trees, we all were satisfied and we went home. But surprisingly, Ekpene Ukim people have been attacking us and even threatening to wipe us out. We now live in fear, because anything can happen.
“ In May, our son, Anietie Etim Inyang, was attacked and given machete cuts by Ekpene Ukim youths while working on his farm. A lot of things are happening. As it is now, we can’t cross to their area because they are ready to attack us.
“ They are doing what they doing because we are a small community of people, while they have a large size of youth population. But, we don’t want another crisis. We are peace loving people and we have not gone out of the boundaries set by the Deputy Governor as they have. Now, the whole boundary demarcation is dissatisfactory to them and therefore, a waste of time”.
The Ikot Edong Village Head however told journalists that following the attack on their son, land encroachment and the brewing crisis, the situation was conveyed to their Transition Committee Chairman, Mrs. Emem Ibanga, who promised to convey the development to the Deputy Governor whose office is responsible for boundary matters.
He however lamented that the chairman had not contacted them as to whether the Deputy Governor was being expected again in the communities, or a serious action would be taken immediately to forestall further encroachment.
“ We have reported this issue to Emem Ibanga who promised to in turn report to the Deputy Governor. But up until now, we have not heard from her to know what comes next. Now, we are not safe in this our community. We want something to be done immediately”.
Chief Nyong therefore, appealed to Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom State to, as a matter of urgency, revisit the disputed land, with a view to taking decisive actions to forestall future crisis.
Also speaking, the village head of Ekpene Ukim, Chief Effiong Asuquo Ekanem, denied all the allegations, saying they had neither encroached into portions belonging to Ikot Edong, nor flouted the peace agreement.
He said all the plots of land said to have been sold belonged to Ekpene Ukim people, and therefore, described all the allegations as untrue.
“ Since the government came here and demarcated the boundaries with tree planting, we have not crossed our own path. And have also not sold land that doesn’t belong to us. So, those things are true”.
Earlier, the village head of Ndon Ikot Itie Udung, Chief Nse Edet Inyang, had told jourmalists that his community had not experienced any land encroachment from any of the communities since the peace agreement was carried out.
He said since the demarcation exercise, peace had return, as they had been going about their normal farm business without any threat to peace.
When contacted, the Media Aide to the Transition Committee Chairman of Nsit Atai Local Government Area, Mr. David David, who spoke to journalists on behalf of the chairman, said he was aware that the developments had been reported to the chairman for immediate action.
He said Emem Ibanga was working hard to engage the Deputy Governor again, with a view to finding a lasting solution to the land dispute.
