Uyo community protests planned take-over of only land

Residents of Eniong Offot Community in Uyo metropolis at the weekend staged a peaceful protest to register their displeasure against government’s proposed plan to take over their only land.
The land, it was gathered, had been marked for demolition by the state ministry of lands and Housing which ordered residents to vacate their houses.
Speaking with journalists after the protest, the secretary of the community traditional council, Elder Patrick Archibong, said the protest was not to declare a fight with government but to draw Governor Udom Emmanuel’s attention to the plight of the people of Eniong Offot who are on the verge of losing the only land left for them and their generations.
He said the disputed land had never been acquired by government, adding that the community had already given enough land for government developmental programmes, including the Police Station at the boundary between them and Itiam. According to him, his community was surprised to see red markings on houses from the Ministry of Lands and Housing, ordering them to relocate.