Over 100 protesters, dressed in white, marched through major streets chanting solidarity songs before converging at the Ibeno Secretariat on Saturday.
They carried placards with inscriptions backing the coastal highway project and calling for peace, dialogue and development in Ibeno.
The youths also praised Gov. Umo Eno for, they said, speaking truthfully on the disputed oil-rich Stubbs Creek Forest Reserve.
Placards read: ‘Ibeno stands for peace’, ‘Dialogue not dispute’, ‘Ibeno says yes to the coastal highway’, and ‘Peace is our strength’.
Others declared Ibeno host of the reserve, support for the Akwa Ibom Government, investor safety, lawful ownership, non-violence, and economic benefits from the highway.
NAN reports the Stubbs Creek ownership dispute between Eket and Ibeno previously caused tension, leading to loss of lives and property.
Eket had claimed ownership, citing a 1918 Privy Council decision, but the state government said the ruling vested ownership in no community.
Addressing protesters, Vice Chairman Ukpong Okon thanked President Bola Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio for leadership on the coastal highway.
“We appreciate the organised, non-violent protest and the youths’ conduct on the issue,” Okon said.
He praised Governor Eno’s handling of Stubbs Creek, saying it would bring peace, development and attract investors to Ibeno.
Elders’ Forum spokesman, Diamond Akpanika, said the rally showed peace, backing President Tinubu, Senate President Akpabio and the APC-led Federal Government.
“White symbolises peace. We support the Lagos–Calabar Coastal Highway and want it to pass through our land,” Akpanika said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)