EKID PEOPLE CALL FOR INVESTIGATION OF CHINESE COMPANY, DEMAND FOR COMPENSATION

By The Evangelist News edition, Thursday, October 12, 2023. By Solomon OKPO, Kindly like, share the link.

A Socio-political group, the Ekid People’s Union, has unequivocally demanded that a Chinese company, Ruitai Mining Limited should henceforth stop their illegal mining activities in the Stubb’s Creek and pay for damages occasioned by their trespass.

In addition, the group has asked the Akwa Ibom government to investigate the illegal activities of the company and call them to other and as well find ways of ameliorating the already despicable situation.

The group also demands that all parties involved in this clandestine land grab incident should be rightly informed of their incontestable title to the said land and should be so guided.

Addressing the press recently in Eket, the group said that for some time now, they have noted that Chinese company has been illegally mining ilmenite on their land located within the Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve (Akoiyak Ekid), which is the property of the Ekid People, but without the necessary authorisation or consent of the community which they view as a breach of their extant laws.

According to the group, the illegal mining is usually carried out in the night and its products are usually transported out of the State in trucks cladestandly.

These activities, they alleged, is actively encouraged by certain elements in government, continuing that “as at today, neither the Chinese company nor their agents in government has informed the community of this ongoing illegal activity”.

“We are not only appalled by this act of affront on our people, we also wish to most vehemently register our utmost displeasure and protest against the manner and style that some agents of the government, especially in the office of the Hon commissioner for Lands, have most ignominiously aided the Chinese company called RULTAI MINING LIMITED in their illegal mining of ILMENITE on our land,”
they lamented.

The group pointed out that this action is clearly against the letter and spirit of the current Mining Act which encourages mining to be carried out in an environmentally friendly and socially responsible manner.

Ekid People’s Union whose stance on the issue was read by her President-general, Dr Samuel Udonsak flanked by the national secretary, Barr Bassey Dan Abia, stated that eventhough the State government is not involved in the entire process of granting a mining License , it owes them the fiduciary duty of the legal responsibility to act solely in the best interest of the Ekid and Esit Eket people instead of conniving with foreign oppressors against them, thereby destroying their land and polluting their environment.

While pledging their support for government’s effort in its development strides and the establishment and growth of genuine business within their environment, they vowed to lawfully resist any illegal and unjust exploitation of their environment.