BREAKING: Women & Youths in Bendeghe‑Ekiem Threaten Naked Protest Over Cocoa Estate Privatization

In a raw and emotional uprising, the women and youths of Bendeghe‑Ekiem community in Etung Local Government, Cross River State, are demanding justice in a most dramatic fashion—threatening to stage a mass naked protest if the governor doesn’t reverse the controversial privatization of their ancestral cocoa estate.

The protest ignited after the state’s Ebori Nku‑led allocation committee reportedly handed the choicest cocoa plots to politicians, outsiders, and wealthy interests, leaving the community’s youth impoverished and furious.

During a fierce street gathering on Monday, youth leader Aton Mgbe condemned the “scandalous marginalization” of local indigenes in the allocation process:

“If you give 95% of the farms to people we don’t know and leave only moribund plots for us, then you’re stealing our birthright.”

He vowed they would soon embark on a naked protest to highlight their plight and shock the conscience of the government.

The symbolic act is meant to signal the exact nakedness—social and economic—they now face in their own land.

Women’s voices added weight to the fury. Echoing similar outrage to other communities like Etomi and Abia, Bendeghe‑Ekiem’s women warned that if cocoa estates continue to be privatized, the government might as well remove the trees and return bare land to the hosts—even if clothed in desperation.

Their threats occur against a broader backdrop of unrest. Neighboring Etomi and Abia communities have already protested against similar privatization plans, including nationwide banners reading “Our cocoa is not for sale” .

A court injunction earlier had temporarily halted state sale efforts in Etung, underscoring the legal tension underlying these protests .

Cross River’s agriculture spokesman and Commission for Information rushed in appealing for calm, reminding residents that Governor Bassey Otu is reviewing the situation.

But for Bendeghe‑Ekiem, the flicker of state reassurance is no match for months of broken promises, joblessness, and sovereignty denied.

The threatened naked protest is not just hunger for justice—it’s a desperate cry from people stripped of their heritage and livelihoods, daring the state to face them bare and unfiltered.

When land becomes treasure, and mothers and youth are pushed to shame, the naked truth becomes the loudest protest.