The Amanyanabo of the Source, Da Amakiri Tubo, Alhaji Mujahid Abubakr Dokubo-Asari, has denied allegations by the Udekama Council of Chiefs accusing Royal Fouche Security Services of operating as an “army of occupation” and engaging in land grabbing.
Dokubo-Asari, who described the allegations as “sad, vexatious and provocative,” said he was not a party to the longstanding land dispute between neighbouring communities and had never claimed ownership of the disputed land.
Speaking with journalists yesterday, the monarch said he was saddened by the allegations, particularly because they sought to link him to a dispute that, according to him, predates his involvement.
“I felt saddened when I heard these allegations. I came back home after a long time away from Rivers State, only to read these vexatious allegations against me,” he said.
“This is a dispute that existed long before I was born. I was not a party to the court cases from which these allegations appear to have arisen, and I have never claimed ownership of the land in question.”
Dokubo-Asari said the current controversy could be traced to developments in Obuama in 2020, when the community began implementing a five-year development plan.
He explained that Obuama had traditionally operated periodic development plans under which portions of community land were allocated to members who applied for land for development.
According to him, portions of land were allocated in 2020 along the road corridor linking Tema, Okpo, Obuama, Degema, and Abonema.
He said the road was constructed in 1973 during the administration of the then Rivers State Military Governor, Commander Diete Spiff, with compensation paid to affected communities.
Dokubo-Asari said the development plan was challenged by people from Usokun, who claimed ownership of the land and subsequently took the matter to court.
He, however, said there was no injunction stopping Obuama from developing the land, adding that the community decided to hold back in the interest of peace and allow the courts to resolve the dispute.
The monarch also cited the legal history of the dispute, including a case identified as DHC/76/CS/2020, involving HRH Chief Charles Sunday-Ugu VII and three others against Chief Kalada Samuel Harry and another.
According to him, the judgment considered whether the claimants’ case was caught by estoppel/res judicata and whether they had established their title to the disputed land.
He said the judgment found that the claimants were affected by earlier litigation, including a 1938 Native Court judgment in favour of Obuama, which had not been set aside.
Dokubo-Asari therefore rejected claims that he was the originator or principal actor in the land dispute.
“All the court cases instituted by the Udekama people have, according to the records before us, been adjudicated upon. Yet instead of pursuing the appropriate appellate process, new allegations continue to emerge,” he said.
“My question is simple: if this dispute was already before the courts and I was not a party to it, how have I now become the person responsible for the dispute?”
On the allegation that Royal Fouche Security Services operates as an “army of occupation,” Dokubo-Asari challenged those making the allegation to identify any community or land allegedly seized by the security company.
“Occupation of what?” he asked.
Royal Fouche has provided security on land and waterways across communities in four Local Government Areas for approximately four years. Yet those making this allegation have not identified one portion of land that Royal Fouche has taken over.”
He said the company’s security operations should not be interpreted as ownership or occupation of land.
Dokubo-Asari further claimed that Royal Fouche had provided security along the Emohua/Kalabari corridor and surrounding waterways for more than four years without payment from the Rivers State Government or the four local government areas concerned.
He said the company’s activities had helped reduce kidnapping and armed robbery along the corridor.
“You have to speak to the people to confirm the positive impact of my men in the discharge of their duties. Talk to people from the various communities. Talk to transporters. They will tell you their ugly experiences before and the level of safety and peace of mind they now enjoy on that route,” he said.
The monarch also gave a historical account of the Udekama people, saying his forebear, King Amakiri I, whom he described as the founder of the modern Kalabari Kingdom, brought them from Engenni in present-day Ahoada East Local Government Area and settled them among the Kalabari people.
He said historical accounts passed down to him indicated that the people lived on the fringes of the kingdom and served as buffers during periods of warfare.
Dokubo-Asari said historical claims should, however, be considered alongside documentary and judicial records to prevent the dispute from becoming a source of ethnic tension.
He maintained that his position was ultimately about peace, evidence and due process.
“If there is evidence of wrongdoing, let the evidence be produced and let the appropriate authorities investigate it,” he said.
“But do not take a longstanding dispute between neighbouring communities, attach my name to it when I was never a party to the litigation, and then create a completely different narrative around it.”
He called for the land dispute and security issues to be treated separately and resolved through lawful means.
“We must separate the land dispute from the security question and allow evidence, the law and the courts to determine the issues,” he said.
Dokubo-Asari also welcomed an independent investigation into the allegations, saying he was prepared to submit himself to scrutiny.
“I welcome a judicial panel of inquiry by the State Government to investigate the allegation of land grabbing,” he said.
