Ekid people in Eket and Esit Eket Councils of Akwa Ibom State have dragged BUA Refinery and Petrochemicals to court for allegedly encroaching on their land in the Stubbs Creek Forest.
They accused BUA of illegally acquiring land in the Stubbs Creek Forest, otherwise known as Akoiyak, and parading fake Certificates of Occupancy, which are unknown to them.
Ekid Peoples Union (EPU), the umbrella body for Ekid people, said it instituted legal action against the company and other persons and groups for encroaching on the forest.
EPU President, Samuel Udonsak, made the disclosure while presenting his valedictory address at the 22nd Yearly National Congress of the union at its national Secretariat in Eket Council of the state.
The theme of the congress was: ‘Petroleum Industry Act: Developing Entrepreneurial Potential and Economic Sustainability of Host Communities’.
“We would like to report to Congress that currently huge parcels of Stubbs Creek are being encroached upon, acquired and sold off illegally by various persons, groups and interests.
“BUA Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd is parading Certificates of Occupancy to the parcels of Stubbs Creek, unknown to Ekid land owners. At this point, as peace-loving citizens, we are faced with no other option but to seek legal action over these infractions,” he said.
Udonsak urged Akwa Ibom State Government to produce and gazette a map of the state that is authentic and in consonance with history and extant court judgments, lamenting that Ekid people have lost their villages to Ibeno as a result of wrong mapping.
