At least four communities in Odukpani Local Government Area of Cross River State have accused Hi-Tech’s construction company, working on the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway, of constructing an illegal access road and engaging in unauthorized sand mining outside the approved project corridor.
The allegations were contained in petitions signed by the Eyo Ekpo Royal Family and forwarded to the police, State Security Service (SSS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other security agencies, prompting a verification visit by the police.
Police officers inspected Ubambat Okoyong, Usung Esuk Okom and Esuk Okom I communities, extending to Esuk Ekom Beach, to ascertain the claims that heavy-duty equipment had been deployed outside the designated highway route.
On January 13, officers of the command, accompanied by members of the Eyo Ekpo Royal Family, visited the disputed areas where community members alleged that a new access road was opened beyond the approved 100-metre corridor to facilitate sand extraction without landowners’ consent.
Chairman of the Eyo Ekpo Royal Family Lands Committee, Christ Ambassador Effiong Ekpo Ekpo, accused the company of creating the access road solely to “harvest sand outside the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway corridor.”
The family further alleged that economic trees and farmlands were destroyed, while an ancestral shrine was demolished without consultation, compensation or due process, warning that the actions threatened both livelihoods and indigenous religious heritage.
Police officers reportedly confirmed sighting caterpillars operating far from the approved highway alignment, reinforcing concerns raised in the petition submitted earlier this year to security agencies.
Acting Secretary of the Lands Committee, Offiong Eyo Okon, dismissed claims by some local political actors that the issue was routine sand excavation within the corridor, insisting it was about an unauthorized road constructed to access river sand.
Meanwhile, Hi-Tech’s Community Liaison Officer, Asuquo Ukpayang Otu, allegedly told police during an interview that he was unaware of the access road, suggesting it “may have been done by the Cross River State Government,” as investigations continue.
The dispute has heightened tension in Esuk Ekom, one of 13 villages in Okoyong Community affected by the coastal highway project, with residents warning that exclusion from compensation and damage to ancestral lands could spark unrest if unresolved.
As of press time, neither Hi-Tech Construction Company nor relevant government authorities had issued an official response.
