Senior lawyer writes COAS, demands withdrawal of soldiers from C’ River cocoa estates
Ani Bassey
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mba Ukweni has asked the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. Gen. Taoheed Lagbaja, to withdraw soldiers of 245 Battalion,Afi Barracks,Ikom local Government Area of Cross River State from Government Cocoa plantations in Etung local Government Area of the state.
The lawyer made the demand while reacting to what he described as “unlawful taking over of cocoa plantations by military personnel.
Ukweni stated that the call became necessary to avoid outbreak of civil unrest that can put lives and property in the community in danger.
His letter, addressed to the COAS is titled “Complaint of Unwarranted Arrest, Intimidation, Harassment and Abuse of Office by Soldiers of 245 Battalion,Afi Barracks, Ikom local government area of Cross River State”.
His letter partly states that “Soldiers cannot be residing permanently in the cocoa farms acquired by our clients after money had been paid into payment coffers of state government only for my clients to be denied opportunity to reap from their investment.
“We are not at war to warrant deployment of soldiers to the cocoa plantations.
“It’s a civil matter that the court had given an injunction restraining state government from evicting my clients from their farms which they genuinely paid for” he said.
“Soldiers cannot abandon their very important responsibility of protecting the territorial integrity of the nation and be meddling in a civil matter which had been taken care of by the court, intimidating and beating my clients up in their cocoa farms. This isn’t correct sir.
Ukweni urged the army boss not to condescend so low in a civil matter that the state high court in Effraya, Etung local Government area had given a restraining order which barred the state government from evicting farmers of 1,415 hectares allocated to them by immediate past administration of former Gov. Ben Ayade.
The Army Public Relations Officer PRO, 13 Brigade headquaters Nigeria Army Akim Barracks Càlabar, Capt. Jemila Jimoh, promised to formally react.
“I will get back to you,let me find out what is happening first, before I can say anything, Ikom is very far from the state capital Càlabar”, she said.
On his part, the Chief Press Secretary CPS to Gov Otu, Mr. Nsa Gill also promised to find out and get back.
“I will get back to you once I get the proper information”, he said.
