Community writes NUC over attacks on indigenes by University of Uyo

The community further alleged that even when the matter was taken to court, “the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Enefiok Essien, hurriedly got in touch with the Commissioner of Police, who in turn signalled the Police prosecutor already in court with the accused persons to withdraw. The Police promised to hold further dialogue with parties on the matter, but that was the end of it all”.

The community therefore asked the Commission to prevail on the Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Professor Enefiok Essien, “to return to the negotiation table already established and set in motion by the Akwa Ibom State Government through its Secretary to State Government, Mr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, for the purpose of delineation the boundaries between the community and the University”.

The community also demanded “the management of the University of Uyo prevailed upon to make retribution by paying adequate compensation to all the victims whose property at various stages of completion where destroyed on February 15, 2015 and May 24, 2020 illegal demolition exercise which it authorized”.

Below is the full text of the communique:

SAVE OUR SOUL: PUT AN END TO UNPROVOKED AND RECURRENT ATTACKS ON OUR COMMUNITY BY THE MANAGEMENT OF UNIVERSITY OF UYO BEING A COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE CONCLUSION OF AN EMERGENCY MEETING OF OFFOT USUNG IFIAYONG UNITY ASSEMBLY HELD ON JUNE 6, 2020 AT 205 NWANIBA ROAD, UYO.

The people of Offot Usung Ifiayong in Offot Clan in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State are saddened and feel threatened by the hostility shown us by the management University of Uyo, which has led to unprovoked and recurrent attacks on our community by its agents where we share a common boundary with its permanent site, along Nwaniba Road.

The latest in the series of attacks and illegal destruction of property occurred in the night of Sunday May 24, 2020. Our people were woken up at 2am by sound of intense gunshots that continued for over an hour. The people were frightened and remained indoors fearing there was an armed robbery attack in the area. They were however shocked to discover in the morning that not less than 10 houses in the community had been demolished during a night raid by agents of the University aided by armed soldiers, despite the subsisting lockdown curfew in the state.

This is one in several unprovoked attacks by the University of Uyo, ignoring many peace moves initiated by the State Government to find a lasting solution to the protracted land dispute between the community (ten Offot Ukwa villages) that donated their land to the authority of the institution.

It is noteworthy that in February 15, 2015, the management of the University of Uyo led by Prof. Enefiok Essien authorized the University Chief Security Officer to attack our community. On that fateful day, 8 buildings at various stages of completion were reduced to rubbles. Youths of our community vis a vis entire youths of Offot Ukwa were seriously agitated but were restrained from seeking vengeance.

The community decided to take legal action and invited the Police into the matter. The Police, having found merit in the petition from the community charged the Chief Security Officer and his cohorts to court on charge of malicious damage to people’s property in Suit No. HU/337/2015.

On the day of arraignment, the University Vice Chancellor, Professor Enefiok Essien, hurriedly got in touch with the Commissioner of Police, who in turn signalled the Police prosecutor already in court with the accused persons to withdraw. The Police promised to hold further dialogue with parties on the matter, but that was the end of it all.

Neither the Police nor the university authority has deemed it pertinent to call the community and victims of that dastardly act to seek ways of compensating them for their houses destroyed. Rather, the university authority has connived with the Akwa Ibom State Surveyor General to routinely intimidate and arrest youths and their leaders in our community.

As at today, the fundamental right enforcement cases filed by some of the victimized youth leaders against the Police, University of Uyo and State Surveyor General are still pending in courts.

These harassments have continued unabated up till 2018, when the State Government through the Secretary to Akwa Ibom State Government, Dr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, convened a meeting attended by the 10 villages who are landlords to the University of Uyo, the University of Uyo and Member Representing Uyo in the State House of Assembly. Parties in the matter agreed to maintain peace and the Secretary to the Government warned against further destruction of property, asking both parties to maintain status quo until all pending issues were sorted out.

However, another meeting called by the Secretary to the State Government to facilitate a proper boundary delineation between our community and the university was ignored by management of the institution. Unknown to our community, the university authority was busy setting up a tactical military unit to attack the community at night.

Incidentally, they carried out their plan on the night of May 24, 2020, where they invaded our community with a bulldozer escorted by armed military men, who shot sporadically while the bulldozer demolished property at various stages of completion.

Following the latest unprovoked and premeditated attack on our community and declaration of war against our people, we have been addressed by the member Representing Uyo at Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Anietie Eka, the paramount ruler of Uyo, His Majesty Sylvanus Okon, Honorary Special Adviser to the Governor on Grassroots Mobilisation, Otuekong (Elder) Enefiok Ekefre and other community leaders, who appeal that we continue toeing the path of peace.

OUR PRAYERS:

It is on the strength of this need for continuous peaceful coexistence that we, Offot Usung Ifiayong Unity Assembly, representing the elders, youths and women of Offot Usung Ifiayong in Offot Clan in Uyo Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, appeal to the Executive Secretary, National Universities Commission, Prof. Abubakar Adamu Rasheed mni, MFR, as follows:

That you use your good offices to call on the Management of the University of Uyo to respect the extant laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution and administered the Nigerian courts by putting an end to its series of harassments, intimidation, arrests, invasion and destruction of property in our community and on the disputed land while the matter is pending in court.

That the Vice Chancellor of University of Uyo, Professor Enefiok Essien, be prevailed upon to return to the negotiating already established and set in motion by the Akwa Ibom State Government through its Secretary to State Government, Mr. Emmanuel Ekuwem, for the purpose of delineation of the boundaries between our community and the University so as to put an end to every form of hostility while installing lasting peace for needed development of our community.

That the management of the University of Uyo be prevailed upon to make retribution by paying adequate compensation to all the victims whose property at various stages of completion where destroyed in the February 15, 2015 and May 24, 2020 illegal demolition exercise which it authorized.

That it be impressed upon the management of University of Uyo that our community voluntarily donated the land where it has stabled its permanent site out of love for peaceful growth and development as such it should not change its perception of our community as a land to be conquered and dominated because as human beings we reserve the right to defend ourselves when we see that our continuous existence as a people is threatened.