C’River: Effi community faults NIS over Chinese Nationals visit
From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
Pix: Cross section of Effi Community Leaders
The Effi Community in Ikom LGA of Cross River State have faulted the actions of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) over the visit of some Chinese Nationals to the area.
The community through its lawyer, Ichire Okim, said the frequent invitation of leaders of the area to the office of the state controller of the immigration service is against it’s traditions.
They charged Comptroller General, Nigeria Immigration Service, Adepoju Carol Wura-Ola, to call personnel of the service in Cross River State to desist forth with from harrasing and intimidating Effi community traditional rulers, in Ikom LGA of the state whom he said are his clients.
Okim described the numerous invitations extended to Effi community monarchs by authority of Immigration Service in Cross River State as uneccessary stressing that the invitations were not in tanderm with the traditions and norms of Effi people.
In a statement from Ichire Okim and Co Chambers dated August 24, titled, Re: “National Security Risk Urgent Action Required, Suspicious Entry into Effi Community Forest and the Cross River South Forest Reserve without and Diplomatic and Security Clearance”, Okim frowns at the invitations of the monarchs.
“For Christ sake why are they tossing the traditional rulers around like a football ? These are my clients. I can’t sit down fold my arms and watch them toss them around like that!
“Chinese nationals only visited our
Community and said that they want something from our community, whether we agree or not, is that am issue?
“In the first instance, my clients Effi community traditional rulers had not even entered into any agreement with the Chinese nationals, unfortunately this has become a big issue.
“Let me state clearly here that it’s because of an inciting and fault-finding letter written by one Odey Oyama to the Immigration authority that is generating so much dust like this.” Okim stated.
The Effi Community attorney accused an environmentalist Odey Oyama of ploting to distablize the peace and good relation enjoyed among community members home and abroad, claiming that Effi community have right to entertain visitation.
Reacting to the issue, Odey Oyama who is also the Executive Director Rain Forest Reserve and Development, said he had no regret about the petition which he sent to the immigration authority and other relevant Government agencies.
He maintained that all he was doing is “to protect the Chinese against depleting the forest”, he said.
