UTRECHT | 22 January 2026 – Nigerian authorities must urgently protect environmental and forest defenders, halt all alleged illegal logging in Ekuri Forest, and ensure that law enforcement agencies are not used to undermine community-led conservation, the Global Forest Coalition said today.
According to the Nigerian civil society organisation Emerging Genderplus Outreach Team (EGOT), tensions escalated in Ekuri in mid-January following a peaceful, non-violent action by community members seeking to prevent further logging in their ancestral forest. On 12 January, Ekuri youth temporarily secured batteries and keys from logging equipment to halt tree felling and placed the items in custody pending investigation.
EGOT reports that Dr Martins Egot, an Ekuri environmental defender and Executive Director of the Panacea for Developmental and Infrastructural Challenges for Africa Initiative (PADIC-AFRICA), was arrested in connection with these events. At the same time, the Ekuri Clan Head and Youth Leader were summoned for police interviews. EGOT has since confirmed that all charges against Dr Egot have been proven unfounded and fully dropped, and that community leaders have been released without charge or bail conditions.
“The dropping of all charges against Dr Martins Egot is a welcome relief and confirms that peaceful environmental defence should never have been criminalised in the first place,” said Kwami Kpondzo, GFC’s Extractive Industries, Tourism and Infrastructure Campaign Coordinator. “What matters now is ensuring that intimidation does not resume in other forms, and that the forest itself is protected.”
Release of Seized Logging Equipment Raises New Concerns
According to EGOT, the Ekuri community has since confirmed that the keys and batteries from logging equipment—originally placed under police custody pending investigation—were released to Ezemac International (Nig) Ltd without the consent or clearance of the community. Community representatives say this action enabled logging activities to resume despite the unresolved legality of operations in the forest.
While police have reportedly claimed that the items were “not contestable,” their release has intensified concerns regarding the neutrality of law enforcement in the dispute. The Ekuri community is demanding that Zone 6 Police immediately retrieve the equipment and return it to secure custody until investigations are concluded.
Following these developments, New Ekuri community leaders convened an emergency meeting on Tuesday, 20 January, reaching a unanimous decision to pursue all available legal avenues to halt Ezemac International’s operations and to mobilise international support to protect the forest from further exploitation.
Allegations of Illegal Logging and Armed Presence
Ekuri Forest, located on the borders of Cross River National Park, is internationally recognised as a flagship example of community-led forest conservation. According to documentation compiled by EGOT and investigations conducted in 2025 by the Renevlyn Development Initiative (RDI), logging operations attributed to Ezemac International (Nig) Ltd have reportedly continued without evidence of valid community consent or compliance with environmental safeguards, including the Environmental Impact Assessment Act (Cap E12, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria).
EGOT has further reported allegations that logging activities have resumed under the presence of armed personnel described by community members as military. If verified, GFC notes that this would represent a serious escalation and a direct threat to civilian safety, warranting immediate, independent investigation by federal authorities.
“Our documentation shows that even as community leaders were subjected to police procedures, logging equipment returned to operation inside ancestral forest lands,” said Aaron Egot, Executive Director of EGOT. “This imbalance of power places women, children, and the entire community at heightened risk.We are now deploying Eco-Guards on a 5-hour foot journey to the remote site to capture photographic evidence of this breach.”
Gendered and Human Rights Impacts
EGOT emphasises that forest destruction in Ekuri has disproportionate impacts on women and children, increasing risks of poverty, displacement, and gender-based violence associated with unauthorised logging camps. These concerns engage Nigeria’s obligations under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.
Violations of National Policy
EGOT’s formal petition to the Federal Ministry of Environment also highlights alleged violations of the Presidential Executive Order on the Prohibition of Exportation of Wood and Allied Products, 2025, which prohibits the export of wood and allied products as part of efforts to curb illegal logging and deforestation.
In light of these developments, GFC calls on Nigerian authorities to guarantee protection for Ekuri forest defenders, ensure that police harassment does not resume in any form, and immediately halt all logging activities in Ekuri Forest pending lawful investigation. GFC urges the withdrawal of all logging personnel and equipment linked to Ezemac International (Nig) Ltd, the removal of any armed presence from the forest, and a transparent federal and state investigation into the legality of all operations. Where violations are established, those responsible, including corporate executives and any enabling public officials, must be held accountable in accordance with the law.
GFC further calls for urgent reforestation and ecological restoration in partnership with Ekuri community institutions, the provision of basic social amenities in Old and New Ekuri, and sustained support for community-led conservation, including forest monitoring and protection of threatened areas.
“The Ekuri people are not criminals; they are custodians of one of Nigeria’s most important remaining forests,” said Diel Mochire, GFC’s Regional Focal Point for Africa and Director of PIDP. “Upholding the law means protecting those who defend forests, not enabling their destruction.”
GFC urges Nigerian authorities, regional human rights bodies, and the international community to act swiftly to prevent further harm and ensure justice, environmental protection, and respect for community rights in Ekuri Forest.
Photo Credit: Rainforest destruction in Cross River State, Clearing for a “superhighway” near the village of Owai. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/
