“Desperate Voices: Women Confront Armed Invasion and Illegal Logging in Ekuri Forests”
Females from the Ekuri community in Akamkpa Local Government Area of Cross River State have raised concerns regarding the devastating effects of unlawful logging, cautioning that the unrestrained exploitation of their woodlands is driving families into hunger, poverty, and insecurity.
The women expressed their views in Calabar during a one-day training session for journalists and Ekuri women delegates, where they recounted how years of community-driven forest preservation are being undermined by incessant logging operations.
A community representative, Mrs. Agatha Egot, stated that Ekuri women have for decades safeguarded over 33,600 hectares of communal forest through stringent traditional customs, but economic difficulties have diminished local resilience, with some youths now resorting to illegal logging for survival.
She voiced her concern that forest degradation has significantly decreased access to food crops, medicinal herbs, and other non-timber forest resources essential for household survival.
According to her, items such as afang, editan, atama, and ogbono, which were once easily accessible, have turned scarce, compelling women to traverse greater distances under perilous conditions to gather them.
Egot remarked that diminishing agricultural outputs and loss of forest produce have exacerbated poverty, making it increasingly challenging for families to nourish and educate their children.
Assistant Secretary of the Ekuri Women’s Forum, Freda Francis, noted that the presence of loggers and unfamiliar armed individuals in the forests has intensified insecurity, limiting women’s access to farms and raising instances of intimidation, with some loggers reportedly asserting ownership of sections of the forest.
She additionally pointed out that logging activities have dislocated natural water systems, leaving streams either drained or contaminated due to environmental harm.
The women also claimed that over 200 truckloads of timber are transported daily from Ekuri, while attempts to resist these actions are frequently met with harassment and threats.
They condemned the destruction of the community’s sole access road by heavy-duty vehicles, stating that the damage has isolated Ekuri and compounded economic difficulties, with cocoa farmers also reporting losses as plantations are ravaged and transport expenses rise.
