{"id":6843,"date":"2026-01-22T21:46:15","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:46:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pillartoday.ng\/?p=6843"},"modified":"2026-01-22T21:46:15","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T20:46:15","slug":"threat-to-forest-ekuri-community-accuses-firm-of-illegall-logging-seeks-government-intervention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"pillartoday.com.ng\/?p=6843","title":{"rendered":"Threat to Forest, Ekuri Community Accuses Firm of Illegall Logging, Seeks Government Intervention"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u2026My Business is Legal, Igwe<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Gov. Bassey Otu<\/em>.<\/p>\n

By Anietie Akpan<\/strong><\/p>\n

The foremost forest community of Ekuri in Akamkpa Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State has alerted Nigerians, the State Government, and the international conservation community\u00a0to the grave injustice, environmental harm, and looming security threat arising from\u00a0illegal logging activities in its forest.<\/p>\n

The community alleged that a particular company, Ezemac International Limited with Mr. Ezenwa Igwe as the Chief Executive Officer, carried out illegal logging within the New Ekuri\u00a0protected Community Forest.<\/p>\n

Speaking on Thursday in Calabar, on behalf of the people and traditional leadership of New Ekuri Community, a Community Leader, Dr. Martins Egot, said New Ekuri Community is globally recognised as a leading community forestry model in Nigeria and West Africa and has voluntarily conserved over 33,600 hectares of tropical rainforest for decades but one person is coming out to destroy it in the name of business.<\/p>\n

He stated, \u201cwe practice\u00a0community-led forest governance, rejecting large-scale commercial logging. We are partners to respected conservation initiatives, including\u00a0the Ekuri Initiative, and have worked with national and international organisations committed to biodiversity conservation, climate action, and indigenous land rights.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur forest is not just land it is\u00a0our heritage, our livelihood, our climate contribution, and our legacy to future generations. We believe in\u00a0sustainable forest management, not forest destruction\u201d.<\/p>\n

For clarity and public record, Egot, who is the Executive Director, Panacea for Developmental and Infrastructural Challenges for Africa Initiative (PADIC-Africa) said, Forest Reserves\u00a0belong to the\u00a0state government; Cross River National Park\u00a0belongs to the\u00a0Federal Government of Nigeria; while Community Forests, including\u00a0New Ekuri Community Forest, belong to the\u00a0local communities\u00a0under customary law, recognised by Nigerian law and international standards on community forestry. No company has the right to enter or operate in New Ekuri Community Forest without our free, prio, and informed consent\u201d.<\/p>\n

But on 12 January 2026, Egot said, youths of New Ekuri Community, who were mobilizing for routine community road maintenance, heard heavy machinery operating deep within our forest. On reaching the site, they discovered 2\u00a0bulldozers,\u00a01excavator, and\u00a04\u00a0heavy-duty trucks,\u00a0actively felling and evacuating timber\u00a0without the knowledge, consent, or approval of the New Ekuri Community.<\/p>\n

The youths, he said, \u201cacted responsibly. They\u00a0did not vandalize any equipment,\u00a0did not assault any worker, and\u00a0did not steal any property. They merely demanded that operations stop and requested that the ignition keys and batteries of the machines be handed over pending dialogue. These items were\u00a0voluntarily surrendered\u00a0by the operators. The youths took the items to the community, and then taken\u00a0to the Apiapum Police station for custody.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of coming to the community for dialogue,\u00a0Mr. Ezenwa Igwe petitioned the police, falsely alleging that I mobilized youths to attack his workers and vandalize equipment.<\/p>\n

\u201cBased on this false\u00a0allegation,\u00a0I was\u00a0arrested and detained by the Zone 6 Police Command on 13 January 2026, despite being resident in Calabar,\u00a0and not in the village\u00a0when the incident occurred.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis action represents a\u00a0dangerous attempt to criminalise community leadership and silence defenders of community forests\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said, \u201c while investigations were still ongoing and the community had been invited to report on\u00a020 January 2026, we were shocked to learn that: the police\u00a0released the seized keys and batteries back to Ezemac, and the company\u00a0returned immediately to our forest to resume operations\u201d.<\/p>\n

This action, Egot noted, \u201cundermined due process, encouraged impunity, and created a\u00a0volatile situation capable of triggering violent confrontation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt required my personal intervention, alongside community chiefs, to restrain angry youths from advancing into the forest\u00a0an action that could have resulted in bloodshed\u201d.<\/p>\n

As a community known globally for conservation, \u201cwe are deeply disturbed that: a company is attempting to\u00a0destroy a forest that has been protected for generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cLawful community forest governance is being\u00a0undermined by force and intimidation. Law enforcement actions appear to\u00a0favour corporate interests over justice and environmental protection\u201d; he said adding that, \u201cthe continued presence of Ezemac in our forest is a\u00a0direct provocation and a serious threat to peace\u201d.<\/p>\n

In the interest of\u00a0peace, justice, environmental sustainability, and respect for community rights, the New Ekuri community has called for the \u201cimmediate removal of all Ezemac equipment from New Ekuri Community Forest; atransparent investigation\u00a0into the legality of Ezemac\u2019s operations.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn\u00a0independent environmental damage assessment; an injunction restraining Ezemac and its agentsfrom entering the forest pending investigations; protection of community leaders and youths\u00a0from harassment and criminalisation; and accountability for any violations of environmental and community rights\u201d.<\/p>\n

Egot said, New Ekuri Community has chosen the path of\u00a0conservation over exploitation\u00a0and\u00a0peace over violence and \u201cwe will continue to defend our forest\u00a0lawfully, peacefully, and transparently, but we will not surrender our heritage to illegal logging or intimidation\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a reaction, the Chief Executive Officer of Ezemac International Limited, Mr Igwe, denied all allegations raised by the community saying there is nothing like illegal logging activities in New Ekuri Protected Community Forest by his company.<\/p>\n

He wondered, \u201cIllegal logging? How does that sound? In this state, they have lifted bans on logging and I have a permit that authorizes me to log. Can people do what they can’t contest? Can you just place allegation on somebody?<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a permit. I generate revenue for the state government and the local government as well. I have workers, over 180 workers cut across Cross River. I have a standard factory\u201d.<\/p>\n

On whether he logs for export, Igwe said, \u201cI recycle my wood. I don’t carry wood outside the state. If I am doing illegal logging I cannot have a factory in Cross River State. I process my wood in Ugep, Cross River. I do doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it is illegal, I don’t think that the Forestry Commission will give me documents. If it is illegal, I don’t think that I will have government back up in what I am doing. So I am not doing illegal logging.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I am doing is legitimate work. You understand? You can go to Forestry Commission and verify. Ask about my file. They will bring it for you to verify whether I’m doing illegal or not. Ban on logging has been lifted in Cross River. When you meet up to the criteria, they will allow you to work. I have paid my bills for the season. I have all my tellers, everything I used to pay my bill, I have them including tax\u201d.<\/p>\n

He threatened that those accusing him, \u201cwill pay me for damages for all these allegations they are giving me. I don’t think I’m doing illegal work. I have written agreements with the community. I have agreements, comprehensive agreements with the community. I do register with them. Even some people in the community are still working for me. I pay them salaries. They are under my payroll every month.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I don’t think I offended anybody. Talking about quantity or whatever. Government counts the wood.\u00a0 Anything I am doing, the government, forestry presence is there. They are the people that take the wood and count them, and I will pay\u201d.<\/p>\n

He alleged that, \u201ceven people from the community are doing the wood business. Some of them, I buy from them. They sell to me. So how is it illegal? There are the people doing illegal timber business there because nobody knows them. They are not registered with the government. They don’t have permit. They are just doing based on, it is my community..<\/p>\n

\u201cSo leave all those things that they are writing. That is, you know, politics is different from business. They just want to join politics and business. It doesn’t work that way. The community that is claiming this and that, is it not the same community that have been collecting money from me all this while, all these years? I have their tellers, all the payments, part of some of the payments, both the one I paid in cash, both the one I paid in transfer. Even the community, they even taxed me, that I should buy cow for them. Have you heard in the history of Cross River State, that the community will collect cow from a contractor that wants to work in their community?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u2026My Business is Legal, Igwe Gov. Bassey Otu. By Anietie Akpan The foremost forest community of Ekuri in Akamkpa Local Government Area (LGA) of Cross River State has alerted Nigerians, the State Government, and the international conservation community\u00a0to the grave injustice, environmental harm, and looming security threat arising from\u00a0illegal logging activities in its forest. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6843","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6843","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6843"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6843\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5888"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6843"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6843"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"pillartoday.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6843"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}