Boundary Dispute: Displaced Victims Appeal to Gov. Eno and Federal Government for Help

Around 2,000 displaced residents of Ndito Eka Iba, a coastal, oil-bearing community in Ibeno Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, have urgently appealed to both the federal and state governments for assistance. This appeal came after they were forcibly displaced from their homes during an attack on December 24, 2024, which they allege was carried out by their Ekid neighbors.

The displaced persons gathered at the palace of the Paramount Ruler of Ibeno, His Royal Majesty Effiong Achianga, over the weekend, where they shared their harrowing experiences. They claimed that many lives were lost during the attack, with properties worth an estimated N3 billion destroyed in a fire that swept through the area. Several children were reported missing, and other properties, including houses, motorcycles, cars, churches, schools, health centers, boats with outboard engines, and fishing gear, were set ablaze.

The victims, many of whom sought refuge elsewhere, described the violence and destruction. One of the residents, identified as Mr. Monday, was reportedly murdered, with his head chopped off. The conflict is said to have started when the Ekid people renamed Ndito Eka Iba village as Okoiyak Ekid, attempting to assert their Ekid identity over the village.

The Village Head of Ndito Eka Iba, Esoidung Enyina Okon Enyina, also voiced his concerns, appealing to both the Federal and State governments, the Nigeria Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporate bodies, and well-meaning Nigerians to provide immediate assistance.

Enyina and his wife Patience, who had been directly affected by the attack, urged for government intervention to restore security to the community. Enyina described how his house was destroyed, and he was forced to flee into the bush, taking refuge in a nearby church by the riverbank. His wife, Patience, also shared her traumatic experience, having been assaulted during the attack and escaping with only the clothes she was wearing.

The Youth President of Ndito Eka Iba, Comrade Okoriko Robert, attributed the violence to an escalating power struggle within the village, exacerbated by some Ekid people, especially a man named Aniedi, who attempted to establish a parallel leadership in the community. According to Robert, this dispute, coupled with frequent confrontations, has resulted in significant loss of life and property. He warned that the community’s peaceful nature was being misunderstood as weakness, especially in light of the oil and gas investments in the area.

Robert called for intervention from both the federal and state governments to prevent further violence and the disruption of oil production in the region.

In a related development, the Secretary of the Ibeno Clan Council, Mr. Okon Udofia Okon, placed blame for the attacks on former Governor Udom Emmanuel. He accused Emmanuel of causing boundary disputes by irregularly demarcating the boundaries of local governments in oil-rich coastal communities. Okon argued that the former governor’s decisions displaced villages from oil-bearing communities and ceded them to the Onna Local Government Area, a previously non-oil-producing region, which further fueled tensions and boundary crises.