By Juliet Ezeh
A burial dispute between two families in Ikot Obong village, Ikpa Ibekwe clan of Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, has escalated dramatically after a corpse was allegedly dumped at the palace of the village head.
The village head, Eteidung Gordon Etukeren, has now demanded N50 million in damages, saying the incident has caused severe psychological distress to him and members of his household.
The controversy centers on where the late Stephen Isaac Iboro, a former employee of the Aluminium Smelter Company of Nigeria (ALSCON), should be laid to rest.
According to the monarch, the crisis began when members of the Udobong family insisted that the deceased must be buried on land belonging to the Etukeren family — a claim he strongly rejected.
Speaking on the development, the village head explained that the late Iboro was not originally from the Etukeren lineage but from Otong Udobong in the same village.
He said the Etukeren family had earlier accommodated the deceased when he reportedly faced rejection from his own family, allowing him to stay in a house belonging to their family.
“We allowed him to stay in our family house with the understanding that whenever he had the means, he would purchase his own land and relocate,” Etukeren said.
The monarch explained that the deceased later secured employment with ALSCON and eventually built a house of his own. However, the property later became the subject of a dispute, with allegations that the land transaction may have been fraudulent.
Etukeren said that as the deceased’s health deteriorated in 2022, the family requested that he vacate the house previously given to him, but he asked for more time to complete work on his own building.
Unfortunately, the dispute over the property remained unresolved before his death.
The situation worsened after the deceased’s relatives allegedly sold his house for about N25 million and began pushing for his burial on the Etukeren family land.
Rejecting the demand, the village head approached the High Court of Akwa Ibom State sitting in Ikot Abasi, where he obtained an injunction restraining the Udobong family from carrying out the burial on the disputed land.
Despite the court order, Etukeren alleged that members of the family brought the corpse in a coffin and abandoned it at his palace last Saturday.
He described the act as a deliberate attempt to pressure him into accepting the burial arrangement.
The traditional ruler said the incident has exposed him and his family to serious health risks due to the stench from the corpse, while also causing emotional distress.
“This is not only disrespectful but also traumatic for my household,” he said, insisting that those responsible must pay N50 million in damages for the impact of the act.
The dispute has further raised concerns within the community about escalating tensions over burial rights and land ownership, issues that have historically triggered conflicts in several rural communities.
Local authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the matter as community leaders call for calm while the legal process continues.
Juliet Ezeh is the founder and chief reporter at Westbridge Reporters with over 7 years of experience in journalism. She covers crime, industry, policy, and social developments, delivering timely and accurate reporting.