The people of Ibeno Local Government Area in Akwa Ibom State have vowed that they would not allow any local government to annex any part of their ancestral lands for any reason.
They said this as the people of Eket and Esit Eket, two neighbouring local councils, have laid claim to ownership of the Stubb’s Creek land and issued a notice to quit to BUA company which is currently processing the land for the construction of a refinery project in the state.
Eket people threatened, “We are now ready to chase away any investors till justice is done. This is a notice to intending investors all over the world who have an interest in establishing on the Akwa Ibom Atlantic Coast.
“We hereby declare that any foreign and local investors who do not recognize Eket and Esit Eket local government areas as landlords to any industry proposed for the Stubb’s Creek should pack and leave the area.”
But in a counter-press conference on Wednesday, the people of Ibeno said they would not keep quiet and allow a prospective investor slid from them due to the excesses of the Eket and Esit Eket communities and vowed to protect the personnel of the company as well as ensure its unfettered operations in the disputed Stubb’s creeks.
The Press Conference text which was jointly signed by the council chairman and the secretary respectively, Chief Ikoedem Ekong and Pastor Tom Afia was issued to journalists in Uyo.
It read in part, “We regard the recent brazen and audacious quit notice which the Eket people have issued to BUA group, a prospective investor as baseless. While we repeat that these people have always been on hand to kill prospective projects not minding how their selfish and baseless attitude affect the general good which those projects have the potentials to bring to the entire state, we hope that the government of Akwa Ibom state has paid attention to the continuous insults threats and disdain meted out against Ibeno by the Ekids these past months.
“To this end, we wish to sound a note of warning that no part of Ibeno land belongs to Eket. BUA refinery is to be located in Ibeno. Ibeno will not tolerate any trespass to its land.
“Ibeno will defend BUA activities and its personnel, both local and expatriates. Ibeno will never take up arms against Eket but we will not fold our hands and watch the activities of miscreants in our land.
“If one leaf is taken from Ibeno into Eket, we will enter and collect twelve leaves, we will equally not permit one BUA personnel to be hurt or killed by Eket in the course of carrying out their legitimate construction work in Ibeno which will be a blessing to Akwa Ibom State, and Nigeria as a whole.”
They also called on the state government to ensure there is peace in the area before it is too late.