It has been established that the citizens of Akwa Ibom State have a fundamental civic duty to report farmer-herder clashes wherever they occur, before these incidents escalate into violent confrontations.
Mrs. Mfon Edemekong, the State’s Solicitor General, stated this on Thursday while responding to questions on incessant farmer-herder clashes shortly after the Ministry of Justice presented its achievements at the government’s ministerial media briefing in Uyo.
Edemekong encouraged citizens to report immediately to the ministry of justice or the police whenever herders trespass or destroy their farmlands.
“And when that is done, the police are supposed to investigate and send the file to the Ministry of Justice. Until that is done, the Ministry of Justice cannot intervene.
“If the police are not taking action, write to the Ministry of Agriculture or the Ministry of Justice, and we will know how to proceed.”
In an earlier presentation last week, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Waterways, Gen. Koko Essien (Retired), stated that his ministry collaborates with the Ministry of Agriculture as part of an anti-grazing task force to address the issues caused by uncooperative herders.
He added that the task force also includes some Fulani tribesmen who understand cattle tracing and can identify where cattle that trample on farmlands come from.
Essien stated that a recent report by a veteran journalist, Mr. Ibanga Isine, about herdsmen invading his farm along Airport Road was not received by his ministry until three weeks after the incident occurred.
Mr. Isine had posted on his Facebook timeline on July 20, 2026, that Fulani herdsmen, for the seventh time, invaded and destroyed his multimillion-naira irrigation system and farm equipment during that incident.
Essien stated, “Once there’s an infraction on the farms, we need that information as soon as possible.12 hours, 24 hours, or 36 hours is enough for us to trace these cows. Unless we trace the cattle, there’s very little we can do because we cannot provide security on every farm.”
Meanwhile, the State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Uko Udom, SAN, during the meeting on Thursday, highlighted his ministry’s achievements under the government’s ARISE Agenda, stating that approximately 402 legal instruments and documents were processed.
These included 70 bills,150 regulations, executive orders and other instruments,121 tenancy agreements and leases, 34 memoranda of understanding, and 27 legal opinions and advisories.
According to him, the ministry’s litigation departments recorded 896 pending civil cases and 96 concluded cases, alongside 2,368 pending criminal cases and 843 concluded cases.
He added that the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Unit recorded 340 pending cases involving physical assault, threats to life, rape, child abandonment, emotional abuse, and harmful widowhood practices.
Udom also said the ministry handled 36 alternative dispute resolution cases and recorded 52 family disputes,11 of which have been resolved or concluded.
Similarly, the Commissioner noted that the Estate Administration Department handled 77 cases involving deceased persons’ estates, beneficiaries’ rights, death benefits, and the protection of widows, widowers, and children.
On law reform, Udom stated that the ministry published laws enacted in 2023 and 2024 following the comprehensive revision of the State’s laws in 2022, while work continued on subsequent legislation.
He said the ministry also published the fourth edition of the Ibom Justice Digest, recruited 25 new law officers, and sustained professional training in prosecution, mediation, conciliation, and the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and the State’s Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
The ongoing construction of a Court of Appeal complex in Uyo was another major highlight of Udom’s presentation.
According to the Commissioner, the project followed representations made to Governor Eno regarding the difficulties lawyers and litigants face traveling to Calabar for appeal hearings. He added that completion is expected before the end of the2026/2027 legal year.
He also highlighted the Akwa Ibom State Office of the Public Defender Establishment Law, signed by the Governor in July 2026, which aims to strengthen access to justice, human rights, and legal assistance for disadvantaged residents.
Other initiatives of the ministry included collaboration with the police, correctional services, judiciary, Nigerian Bar Association, and civil society organizations; correctional center audits across four facilities; statewide gender-based violence awareness activities; and digital reforms to improve case monitoring and management.
Present at the briefing were Permanent Secretaries in the Ministries of Information, Akparawa James Edet; Justice, Mfon Edemekong, Esq.; and Trade and Investment, Dr. Stephen Effiong; the State Statistician-General, Mr. Uduak Isaac; Directors of the Ministry of Justice; Chairman of the NUJ, Akwa Ibom State Council, Comrade Nsibiet John; Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Local Media, Comrade Amos Etuk; and journalists from broadcast media and national and local newspapers.
Written by Itoro Bassey
