(Ekid youth and women protest. Photo by Leadership News)
Women and youths of the Ekid ethnic nationality staged a protest on Wednesday in Eket Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, demanding the release of social media advocate Godsown Udoito, who has remained in custody for over five months over alleged online comments concerning Governor Umo Eno and his family.
Drawn from Eket and Esit Eket local government areas, the protesters marched through major streets of Eket, starting from Atabong Bridge and ending at the town centre.
Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, they appealed directly to Governor Eno to facilitate Udoito’s release ahead of a scheduled court hearing on Thursday.
Several placards carried emotional appeals, including calls describing the governor as a father figure who should end her detention, references to her having lost her father while in custody, and demands that her earlier apology be accepted.
Other placards expressed solidarity among the Ekid people and called for her unconditional release.
At one point during the demonstration, a woman who identified herself only as Mary knelt on the road and pleaded with the governor in the local dialect, urging him to show mercy and release Udoito, describing her as his own child deserving of compassion rather than continued detention.
Speaking to journalists during the demonstration, protest leader and online broadcast host Peter Bassey acknowledged that Godsown Udoito may have overstepped in her remarks about Governor Umo Eno, but argued that her continued detention is unjustified given that she had already apologised.
He noted that the protest was partly a response to recent comments by the governor suggesting an apology could help resolve the matter, and appealed for her release ahead of the court hearing scheduled for the following day.
Governor Eno, during a recent media engagement, had appeared critical of those advising Udoito against apologising, suggesting that her legal team should have urged her to acknowledge wrongdoing given the available evidence, rather than encouraging a public protest.
He stressed that he was pursuing the matter in his personal capacity rather than as governor, framing it as a defence of his family rather than a response to criticism of his administration’s performance.
He maintained that as a citizen, he has the right to seek legal redress just like anyone else, and insisted the case was not about silencing criticism but addressing comments he considered defamatory toward his parents.
While Udoito’s exact post has not been independently seen, reports indicate she had been using her Facebook page to oppose alleged plans by the state government to take over the disputed Stubbs Creek forest reserve, a piece of land claimed by both the Ekid and Ibeno communities.
The governor said he would allow the courts to handle the matter without interference from his office.
The case has stirred significant debate in Akwa Ibom State, with community leaders and observers raising concerns that her continued detention could deepen existing tensions over the forest reserve dispute.
Public attention intensified further following reports that Udoito lost her father while still in custody, a detail that featured prominently among the grievances raised during Wednesday’s protest.
With the matter returning to court, attention is now focused on whether she will secure her release and whether the sustained appeals from community groups and supporters will influence the resolution of the case.