28/11/2025
Alleged Land Grabbing: Ekpri Nsukara Offot Youth Council Faults Sahara Reporters’ Publication
…Describes It as Sponsored Blackmail against Obong Emem Asikpo
The Ekpri Nsukara Offot Youth Council has dismissed a Sahara Reporters publication alleging land grabbing, intimidation, conspiracy and attempted murder against the Village Head of Ekpri Nsukara Offot, Obong Emem Dennis Asikpo, describing the report as “sponsored blackmail” aimed at tarnishing the image of a respected traditional ruler.
Addressing journalists shortly after an emergency executive meeting on Friday, the Youth Council President, Mr. Emmanuel Pius Okon, said the publication was filled with falsehoods, recycled claims and unverified allegations allegedly pushed by individuals nursing grudges against the community’s leadership.
“Our attention has been drawn to a sponsored blackmail published by Sahara Reporters. We state clearly that the allegations are baseless, malicious, and promoted by people who have personal issues with our revered Village Head.” Mr. Okon said while reading a Press Statement.
The Council dismissed claims that Obong Asikpo leads a “syndicate” that forcibly takes community lands, describing the assertion as a calculated falsehood intended to mislead the public.
According to the Youth Council, Ekpri Nsukara Offot operates a transparent land administration system and has never received any formal complaint, at the village or clan level linking the Village Head to land fraud. It added that no individual or family has provided evidence of land being forcefully taken by him.
The group also faulted the credibility of the supposed petitioners, describing them as individuals hiding under a questionable NGO with no legitimacy within the community.
Responding to the allegation that police officers act as mercenaries for the Village Head, the Council called the claim reckless and laughable, insisting it was an insult to the Nigeria Police Force.
Mr. Okon said the accusers were merely attempting to portray routine collaboration between community leaders and security agencies as criminal, an approach often used by those trying to evade lawful arrest.
The Council also denied claims that the Village Head sold government-owned AKADEP property, noting that the land has always remained under government control and that no transaction involving Obong Asikpo exists.
“The land was never at any time in the custody or management of Obong Asikpo,” the statement stated.
The allegations of assassination plots, confessions and secret recordings were dismissed as fabricated stories packaged to sensationalize a sponsored report.
The press statement noted that no police formation, court or security agency has ever linked the Village Head to any criminal act, and described the purported recordings and confessions as media stunts created to mislead the public.
On claims that several victims had land seized by the Village Head, the Council maintained that many of the persons mentioned were outsiders with unrelated personal issues, adding that none had filed formal complaints with the village council, clan council or local government.
The Council insisted that court judgments referenced in the publication were misrepresented to tarnish the Village Head.
It further rejected claims that Obong Asikpo displaced residents, describing him instead as a stabilizing force, who consistently mediates disputes within the community.
The Youth Council accused Sahara Reporters of failing to verify facts, neglecting to contact the Village Head for a response, and offering its platform to individuals bent on blackmail.
“This is a coordinated attack funded by disgruntled elements who have repeatedly failed in their attempts to destabilize our community’s leadership,” the statement added.
The Press statement, signed by Emmanuel Friday John (Vice President), Tony Effiong Nyong (Secretary), and Obonganwan Veronica Odung (Women Leader), called on security agencies to investigate the sponsors of the publication and prosecute those attempting to incite unrest in Ekpri Nsukara Offot.
In a separate reaction, the Village Council Chairman, Comrade Maurice Silas, and the Secretary, Elder Domingo Etim, described the publication as false, misleading and a desperate attempt to smear a respected traditional institution.
They described Obong Asikpo as a man of integrity with a transparent leadership record and no history of violence or abuse of office.
