The Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI) has called on the Cross River Government to take urgent action against rising illegal logging activities in the state.
RDI made the call in a statement issued on Tuesday in Abuja by its Project Support Officer, Dominion Amupitan.
Amupitan expressed concern over the increasing deforestation in Ekuri, Ikom and other forest communities, warning that government inaction could signal “complicity” by influential individuals.
He said the organisation’s position followed its own findings and a renewed SOS message from residents of Old and New Ekuri over unchecked logging activities. He added that similar situations were being recorded in neighboring Ikom.
Ekuri Forest, which covers 33,600 hectares of pristine forest, lies northwest of the Cross River National Park and Oban Hills, and north of the Ukpon River Forest Reserve. It is bordered by the Okokori and Etara/Eyeyeng community forests to the northeast, and the Iko Esai community forest to the west.
Unlicensed logging has depleted timber, African mahogany and other exotic trees, adversely affecting populations of apes and forest elephants that are fleeing to safer habitats. Indigenous vegetables and fruits, including bush mango, are now increasingly scarce.
The dire situation in Ekuri was highlighted in the Global Witness 2025 Annual Defenders Report released in September. The report documents individuals, communities and organizations defending their land and resource rights across the world.
RDI Executive Director, Philip Jakpor, said the international community had taken note of the plight of Ekuri and other forest communities suffering from the ongoing plundering of their natural resources.
Jakpor said the Cross River Government had failed to enforce its own ban on illegal logging. He noted that Ekuri Forest, once a model for community-led conservation, had lost about 20 per cent of its original forest cover, with wildlife and plant species severely impacted by destructive logging.
He recalled that after resisting the controversial Super Highway project proposed by the Ben Ayade administration in 2016, locals had believed their struggles were over.
“We will not be wrong to conclude that the unlicensed logging firms invading the forests may have state backing or the support of highly placed individuals, judging by the impunity with which they operate. Some people somewhere must be benefiting from the pain the locals are experiencing,” he said.
