Crisis Looms as Nsukara Offot Youths Protest Against Land Encroachment by UniUyo
Youths of Nsukara Offot Village in Uyo Local Government Area on Thursday staged a peaceful protest against the University of Uyo over attempts by the institution’s management to carry on with a perimeter fence project on a disputed portion of land.
The protesting youths had as early as 8.am stormed the disputed land area which, as at the time of the protest, was already cleared for the perimeter fence project, with placards carrying different inscriptions cautioning the University management against further trespass on their ancestral land.
Speaking on the essence of the protest, Comrade Edem Etim, a youth leader from the Village said Adaha Edeng community land, Nung Anko and Nsukara Offot permanent market site now cleared by the University for the perimeter fence project was never part of the donated land area.
He urged the University authority to respect the ongoing injunction placed by the State Government between the disputing parties pending the amicable resolution of the matter.
When contacted to speak on the development, the Acting Secretary of the Village Council, Mr Alex Benson said Nsukara Offot people are peace loving and making frantic efforts to resolve the ongoing dispute between the University and its host communities.
While frowning on the repeated cases of encouragement carried out by the University authority, the village scribe urged the aggrieved youths to remain calm adding that the University of Uyo Boundary Committee and the Village Council has has alerted the State Government and relevant stakeholders about the matter, assuring that steps will soon be taken to address the anomalies.
Meanwhile, the University of Uyo Boundary Relations Committee has called on the State Government to take urgent steps to resolve the boundary dispute between the University of Uyo and its communities.
Chairman of the Committee, Engr Augustine Udoh made the call while fielding questions from reporter on the recent peaceful protest and demonstrations by youths of Nsukara Offot Village.
According to him, members of the community have in collaboration with relevant stakeholders made huge efforts to resolve the disputes which has been lingered since 1981, when the parcel of land was donated to the then College of Education, now University of Uyo.
Explaining further, he said available records indicates that the boundary dispute was caused by one Surv. A. O. Aqua who was then contracted by the government to survey the acquired portion of land, but he allegedly over stepped the boundaries to the disputed portion of land belonging to the host communities.
Engr Udoh disclosed that the affected community have met with the University of Uyo management and the State Deputy Governor who is the Chairman State Committee on Boundary Matters, and it was resolved that all parties should stay action until the matters were resolved amicably.
He expressed displeasure about the action of the University, especially to have gone against the government injunction for the stay of execution pending the resolution of the disputes.
He charged the disputing parties to maintain law and order while the Committee is expecting government to swing into action to forestall violence between the land donors and the University community.
A letter addressed to the office of the State Deputy Governor jointly signed by the Chairman of the Village Council, Mr Aniekan Bassey and Village Secretary, Mr Alex Benson have called on the State Government to intervene on the matter, adding that the situation in the community raising serious tension.
The letter cautioned the University authority to seize with forthwith, the ongoing road creations and attempt to erect a perimeter fence on the disputed areas until the matter settled, while calling on relevant government agencies to investigate these claims and take approximate actions to ensure that the boundaries as shown to the government by our forebears, which excluded the Amasa Shrine, farmland and residential area is properly identified and upheld.
