A community leader from Akwa Ibom State, Mr. Udeme Eyosukwa, has raised alarm over what he described as years of systematic land grabbing, police intimidation, extortion and repeated assassination attempts allegedly carried out by powerful village heads and their allies in the Ikot Abasi axis of the state.
Eyosukwa, who hails from Green Sugara Fort village, accused two traditional leaders—Ememde Nisasiku, village head of Green Sugara Fort, and Inefionge Fiongisa, village head of Ikoto Yangan Fort—of masterminding the forceful seizure and resale of ancestral lands, using armed youths and allegedly compromised security operatives.
Eyewitness accounts cited by SaharaReporters indicate that the village heads allegedly invade farmlands and residential plots with armed thugs and heavy-duty equipment, clear the land and sell it to third parties. Residents who resist, Eyosukwa alleged, are often framed with serious criminal charges such as kidnapping, armed robbery or attempted murder, leading to arrests and prolonged detention.
“This has been going on for years. More than 5,000 people have been affected,” Eyosukwa said. “As long as you cross their path, you will be victimised.”
He alleged that police officers were routinely used as tools of intimidation, fabricating charges to silence victims while their properties were sold off. According to him, entire communities now live in fear, with many residents fleeing their homes to avoid arrest or violence.
Eyosukwa cited several cases, including that of a man identified as Okpan, who allegedly bought land from one of the village heads, built a house to window level, only for the same land to be resold to another buyer. The building was later demolished, and the original buyer reportedly threatened with death.
He also mentioned an elderly woman, Mary, and another victim, Neema Okpan, who allegedly lost both land and money after their properties were sold multiple times to different buyers.
The community leader further claimed he became a major target due to his licensed small-scale mining business involving laterite and sharp sand. He alleged that in 2024, intelligence reports warned him of an assassination plot, and his house was later attacked.
“They invaded my house, carted away valuables including cash worth ₦2.8 million,” he said, adding that petitions to the Akwa Ibom State Police Command produced no results.
According to Eyosukwa, while police intelligence units initially arrested suspects and transferred them to Abuja, the cases were later withdrawn following alleged interference by influential figures. He also accused security operatives of extorting him of over ₦5 million, including ₦800,000 allegedly paid for airlifting suspects, without any justice being served.
In another case, he alleged that a man identified as Augustine had his house burnt, was falsely arrested and detained for a year, while 13 plots of his land were sold off during his incarceration.
Frustrated by the lack of response, Eyosukwa said affected residents formed a pressure group, Voice of Liberation, and sent multiple petitions to the Force Intelligence Department, FCID, EFCC, ICPC, Commissioner for Lands, and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, but received no response.
He also alleged that on April 17, 2025, a man identified as Okokon Samson narrowly escaped death after armed youths allegedly linked to the same village heads attacked him.
Appealing directly to President Bola Tinubu, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, the National Security Adviser, DSS, NIA, EFCC, ICPC, and civil society organisations, Eyosukwa called for urgent intervention.
“People are living like slaves in their own communities. We can no longer speak freely. Many have fled because of police frame-ups,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to set up an independent investigative panel, warning that continued inaction could result in a breakdown of law and order in the affected communities.
