The commencement of compensation payments to affected landowners and farmers in Akamkpa and Odukpani LGAs of Cross River State by the Federal Government for the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway has triggered anger and rising tension among indigenes and ancestral landowners.
In the Okoyong axis of Odukpani LGA, community members allege that non-indigenes have infiltrated and hijacked the official compensation list.
President of the Association of Concerned Indigenes of Okoyong Community, and Chairman of the Eyo Ekpo Family Lands Committee, Christ Ambassador Effiong Ekpo Ekpo, warned that the development poses a serious threat to peace and stability.
According to him, aboriginal landowners will not accept “strangers” receiving payments meant for legitimate owners.
Ekpo alleged that hundreds of genuine landowners have been removed from the compensation register and replaced with outsiders purportedly backed by compromised traditional rulers, political appointees, and influential individuals.
He claimed that individuals with no ancestral ties to the 13 Okoyong villages affected by the project were inserted into the lists, displacing rightful beneficiaries whose farmlands and economic trees fall within the 65-kilometre project corridor.
“Stranger elements are taking over the compensation meant for original owners. They are receiving millions of naira, while our people whose ancestors settled on this land are being sidelined,” he said.
Ekpo, listed as Beneficiary No. 1768 at Nkita village, warned that community frustration is escalating. “This is a ticking time bomb. If the government does not intervene, the real owners will react, and the consequences will not be good for anyone,” he cautioned.
The Association said it is preparing petitions to the Commissioner of Police, the DSS, and the State Security Adviser, alleging that external interests are using security operatives and local gangsters to intimidate vulnerable community members.
Ekpo further accused some government appointees of “capturing community rights” and colluding with outsiders to exploit the multi-billion-naira project. He claimed that certain non-indigenes listed in Kaifa, Esuk Ekom, and adjoining Okoyong communities received up to ₦7 million each despite having no historical claims to the land.
He added that repeated demands for transparency from Hi-Tech Construction Company and state officials have been ignored.
The Association wants the government to urgently audit compensation register, remove of all “stranger elements”, recognise original landowners, and institute dialogue to prevent conflict.
Earlier, the Federal Comptroller of Works for Cross River State and Deputy Director at the Federal Ministry of Works, Yinka Onofuye, told journalists that all listed beneficiaries were painstakingly verified before compensation began.
“We have been able to capture almost between 700 and 1,000 affected persons, depending on their properties and claims. The valuers have done their work; our mandate is to ensure payment is made correctly,” he said.
He disclosed that payments are still being processed in the Odukpani LGA axis across ten affected communities, including Ikot Okon Akiba, Oduyana, Atan, Ekemkpo, Mkpara Otop, Kaifa, Nduoduo, Oboroko, Esuk Ekong, Nkitta, and Ekong Atan Oku.
Onofuye noted that delays are largely due to many beneficiaries’ inability to provide valid identification or bank account details.
