C’River forest under threat of extinction by illegal logging

• Community demands N500m compensation

Ekuri forest, the largest community forest in Nigeria and a protected Community Conserved Area (CCA) that has equal status with national protected forests in Nigeria registered under the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) in Cross River State is under threat of extinction through activities of reckless logging.

Ekuri Community, which has stalled logging activities of one of the loggers, Ezemac International Nigeria Limited, is demanding N500 million from the company as compensation for “illegal entry, destruction of swathe of Ekuri Forest, including timber, under story, poles, non-timber forest products, medicinal plants, cultural heritage, watersheds and animal habitats.”

Rising from its meeting in Akamkpa, Akamkpa Council of the state, at weekend, the Ekuri Community also demanded that “Ezemac takes immediate steps to end logging in Ekuri Forest and pullout immediately from the said forest” as they cried out for international intervention to check massive logging and deforestation that is going on in the forest.

Speaking on behalf of the community, the Programme Coordinator of Worthy Association for Tackling Environmental Ruins (WATER), Edwin Ogar, who has the power of attorney from the community to conserve and manage the community forest for livelihood and improvement of Ekuri villagers, said: “The situation is as bad as that. One man has destroyed the forest we have been conserving all these years without permission from the community. He was logging in Okpon Forest Reserve, and after finishing with that, he just entered Ekuri Forest.

“It was when our Ekuri forest guards went into the forest to do boundary cleaning that they realised that Ezemac International limited has ravaged part of Ekuri Forest, and in the course of working, we saw two timber trucks coming to evacuate the wood inside the forest, but we intercepted the trucks and seized the keys and brought the keys back home.

We also saw a bulldozer inside the forest, as well as a loader and skidder inside the forest. However, the company came into discussion with Ekuri Community, claiming they were ignorant of the Ekuri boundary, but they pleaded for mercy and we agreed and they paid a fine, as well as other traditional rites.”