Tension has enveloped Mkpa Eto Community in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, South- South Nigeria, as the natives on Thursday staged a peaceful protest against what they described as “a forceful grabbing of our ancestral land by one Mr. Donald Bob and a few accomplices”, calling on the state government to as a matter of urgency intervene in the development.
According to the protesters, the move to forcefully take over Mkpa Eto people’s ancestral land for private use has been championed by the said Mr. Bob and Chief Godwin Obo who is the Village head of the locality.
It was gathered that today’s protest was triggered by the visit to the community by a team of private land valuers named LUXURY ESTATE DEVELOPMENT LIMITED, who Mr. Bob is conniving to dispossess his people of their ancestral land for private use.
According to the protesters, “Luxury Estate Development Limited, without the knowledge of the landowners, visited the community with a team of 15 surveyors/Estate developers, to carry out what Mr. Bob called “land marking”.
On hearing the news that Donald Bob has led his team to start “marking” the people’s ancestral land without their knowledge, the entire Community, comprising men, women, and Youth of the community, immediately embarked on a peaceful protest carrying leaves and Placards.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read: “land grabbing! hijacking Of Farmland In MKPA ETO Community, Onna LGA, By Wicked politicians”. “Our farmland is our only means of livelihood”.
“Your Excellency, our dear Governor, please intervene and drive these illegal land grabbers away from our community. Governor Umoh Eno, Please Intervene and save us from Extinction ”. “Save our Souls, Our Dear governor. Mkpa Eyo Women Love you”..
Speaking at the venue, Leader of the protester, Chief Mathias Justine Charlie Amah, a community leader from the only royal family in Mkpa Eto (Ekpuk Ukpa) stated that Mkpa Eto is a very small community and if such large acres of land are forcefully taken away from the people, the community will not have where to farm and eat again..
Amah said, “Should these evil land grabbers succeed, then the people will starve to death, as that is the only land to farm. He assured the state government that if they need to do any development project in Mkpa Eto, there is a community land located at Edidim, which is Ikot Idung (community land).
The state government can freely take that one for its development project commending commending the state governor, His Excellency, Pastor Umoh Eno, Ph.D, on his people-oriented policy. He however, mase a passionate appeal to the governor to intervene and drive “evil land grabbers from the community before the situation escalates to an uncontrollable level.
