Host community of Universuty of Uyo frowns at demolition, grabbing lands
Use Atai Community in Offot Ukwa Clan of Uyo local government council in Akwa Ibom state has raised alarm over attempts by the University of Uyo to seize it’s ancestral lands.
The community which is one of the nine host communities of the University is ravaged by gully erosion and the absence of access roads and social amenities.
The village head Eteidung Christopher E. Ekeso while narrating the ordeal of the community said UNIUYO has been seizing lands and ejecting indigenes from their homes over the years.
He further claimed that the university went as far as destroying the village hall and ancient tomb of one of their revered king, the late Eteidung Ekerete Asuquo Akpan.
He said, “The portion of land UNIUYO permanent site presently occupies is 95 percent the rightful property of Use Atai Offot. Our bone of contention is that UNIUYO is bent on acquiring and annexing the portions of land reserved for our settlement and forcefully ejecting us out thereby rendering us homeless.
“In 2016 UNIUYO officials, along with an army of workers, earthmoving equipment and mercenaries of armed policemen and soldiers invaded Use Atai village without any warning notice, destroyed and demolished our village hall, smashed into pieces the monumental structure erected in honour of our late village head Eteidung Ekerete Asuquo Akpan.”
According to him, as a gazetted village, information on the original landmass of Use Atai is available in government records but wondered why UNIUYO acts flagrantly without recourse to negotiation and due process.
He appealed to the Clan Head of Offot Ukwa and Paramount Ruler of Uyo local government council, His Royal Majesty, Edidem Sylvanus Effiong Okon, and relevant authorities to “save our generation from total extinction as there will be nowhere to run to after we are being driven away.”
“UNIUYO authorities be called to order to refrain from annexing the remaining portions of our village land so that we can be able to live together as university neighbours, since Use Atai Offot is a peace-loving community and we do not love to take laws into our hands.”
He also demanded that UNIUYO reconstruct all demolished structures in the community.
The findings by LENS reveal that a sizeable number of indigenes still reside in the village but a lot of people have since been forced to migrate to other parts of Uyo due to the seizure of their ancestral lands.
The management of the University could not be reached for comment as at press time as calls and text messages sent to the information officer of the university, Mrs. Blossom Okorie was not reverted.
