A Civil Society Organisation, CSO, Peer Foundation and some communities in Eket and Esit Eket Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State have rejected the proposed siting of a naval base in the Stubb Creek Forest Reserve in the area.
They described the government move as not just “Eco-destructive” but a land-grabbing attempt using the military to guard corporate polluters, bypass Environmental Impact Assessments, EIAs, and violently displace the indigenous peoples who have sustainably managed the forest for generations.
In a statement endorsed by Glory Akpan, Programmes Officer, Peer Foundation, and made available to journalists in Uyo on Thursday, the group dismissed the claims that the proposed naval base is a security infrastructural development, insisting that it was a calculated, “hostile Trojan horse designed to forcefully evict local communities, silence legitimate dissent, and permanently lock in the ecocide of Akwa Ibom’s last remaining biodiversity sanctuary for commercial petroleum exploitation.”
Speaking from the standpoint of climate justice, the group said the host communities of Eket and Esit Eket rely on this forest for their livelihoods, medicine, and cultural heritage, adding that using military presence to intimidate, restrict access, and evict local populations is a flagrant violation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
“Real security comes from ecological stability, food sovereignty, and economic justice, not gunboats and barracks,” the statement added.
It further added, “We refuse to stand by while our ancestral heritage is traded for short-term corporate greed and environmental destruction. We demand that the Akwa Ibom and federal government immediately rescind the decision to place a naval base in Stubb Creek Forest Reserve.
“Instead of further militarisation, Peer Foundation demands an immediate halt to all industrial activities within the reserve, the withdrawal of destructive refinery plans, and the commencement of a community-led ecosystem restoration agenda to heal this vital sanctuary.”
