C' River Govt Commences Enforcement of Supreme Court Judgement In Ikot Ansa, Kasuk II Decade-Long Land Dispute
Bassey BASSEY
Following the landmark Supreme Court judgment in SC/CV/295/2021, between HRH (Ntoe) Ededem Okon Ayito Vs HRM Edidem Patrick Inok Oqua and 2 others, the Cross River state government has commenced enforcement of the of the said-Supreme Court.
This is as a result of request for assistance in the enforcement of the judgment thereof from the Messers Mba Ukweni and Associates.
However, in a letter to the Survey General of Cross River State on the extent of the Supreme Court enforcement dated January 19, 2026 with reference No.SG/PS/G/VOL.1/2026 and signed by the Solicitor General/Permanent Secretary, Anthony Effion, Esq, the government stated unequivocally that Etab Ayib Village of Kasuk II cannot lay claim to the ownership of the disputed land and should vacate the entire disputed area.
The letter reads in part: “By virtue of the said judgment, the Supreme Court having affirmed the decisions of the Court of Appeal which allowed the appeal of Ikot Ansa, and granted their counter claim, Etab Ayip Village of Kasuk II Qua Clan has no land adjoining those acquired areas, that is, parcel A and B in the Survey plan No. CRC 928 of 2026. Therefore, any community or person claiming through it cannot lay claim to ownership of any parcel of land adjoining the acquired areas.
“The Supreme Court judgment under reference has completely extinguished the right of Kasuk to any legal action and ownership concerning the parcel of land, it claimed Nkonib (Ikot Ansa Qua Clan) trespassed into beyond the area of land released to Ikot Ansa as canvassed by Kasuk Qua Clan in the suit.
"By the Supreme Court judgement, it is now incumbent and or obligatory on Kasuk Qua Clan vide its head, HRH Note Ededem Okon Ayito, to forthwith vacate the entire disputed land laying on the right hand side of Parliamentary Road Extension Boulevard and on the two sides of Goodluck Jonathan Bypass which is the purport of the judgement."
Reacting, the legal counsel to the Ikot Ansa Community, Mba Ukweni, described the judgment as a victory not only for his clients but also for judicial consistency and equity in land matters.
“This decision reinforces the long-standing principle that acts of possession cannot override the requirement to prove root of title based on traditional history,” he said
Equally reacting, Ntufam Francis Okon as Effiom, the Secretary of Ikot Ansa Clan Council, Ahailed the state government through the office of the Solicitor General/Permanent Secretary, Anthony Effiom, Esq, for proper enforcement and intervention to maintain law and order in the communities, adding that Ikot Ansa community and its people are law abiding and would follow all due process in getting back their land in accordance with Supreme Court judgment.
He advised their Kasuk II brothers to adhere to Supreme Court judgment and vacate the land in question as the Apex Court ruling has clearly settled the dispute.
Recall that the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision in Appeal No. SC/CV/295/2021, affirmed Ikot Ansa (Nkonib) as the rightful ownership of the parcel of land and dismissed the appeal filed by HRH Ntoe Ededem Okon Ayito of Kasuk II, finally ending the age-long land dispute between Ikot Ansa (Nkonib) and Kasuk II communities in Calabar Municipality local government area of Cross River State.
The lead judgment, delivered by Justice Uwani Musa Abba Aji and supported by Justices Mohammed Salawa, Stephen Adah, and Abubakar Sadik Umar, upheld the earlier ruling of the Court of Appeal, which had faulted the High Court’s decision in favour of Ayito.
The justices held that Ayito failed to establish valid ownership through traditional history, which formed the crux of his initial claim and therefore dismissed the Appeal as lacking in merit, ruling further that long possession and ownership cannot supplant the legal requirement of proving a root of title based on traditional evidence.
The court also nullified the February 21, 2019 judgment by Justice Imelda B. Etape of the Cross River State High Court, which had awarded ownership to Ayito and slammed ₦100 million in damages for trespass against the Ikot Ansa community.
