By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
Traditional rulers in Bendeghe Ekiem Community, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State, have warned youths occupying disputed plots at the government-owned Cocoa Estate to comply with a subsisting court order and vacate the farms or risk legal sanctions.
The warning was issued by the Chairman of the Crisis Management Committee of Mbume Blocks of Clans, Chief Moses Ndep, during an interaction with journalists in Bendeghe Ekiem.
Ndep said obedience to court judgments remains critical to the maintenance of peace and order in the community, stressing that no individual or group should take the law into their own hands.
According to him, the disputed cocoa plots were legally allocated to contractors and other beneficiaries by the previous administration pursuant to a consent judgment entered by a competent court.
He cautioned that any attempt to resist the judgment could portray the community as being opposed to lawful authority and the judicial process.
“The court has already made its position known on the matter. As a law-abiding community, we must respect and obey lawful orders. Failure to do so could attract sanctions, as the law will inevitably take its course,” Ndep said.
The traditional ruler spoke shortly after the handover of keys to a building donated by former Special Adviser on Cocoa Development, Dr Oscar Ofuka. The facility is expected to serve as temporary accommodation for Faith Plant Global, the company handling the rehabilitation of the 10-kilometre Ikom–Obudu road project awarded by the Cross River State Government.
Explaining the roots of the dispute, Ndep said the matter arose after cocoa-producing landlord communities sued the administration of former Governor Ben Ayade over the non-payment of royalties spanning 16 years.
He noted that the case was eventually resolved through a consent judgment under which more than 1,000 hectares of cocoa farms were leased for six years to approved allottees who paid the required fees into Cross River State Government accounts.
According to him, fresh tensions emerged when a cocoa allocation committee under the present administration reportedly reallocated some of the same plots to new beneficiaries, resulting in overlapping claims and renewed disputes within the estate.
He said the situation has generated anxiety among stakeholders and raised concerns over possible breaches of the court-backed arrangement.
Ndep therefore appealed to the youths to vacate the disputed farms and allow lawful processes to prevail in resolving any outstanding issues.
“I repeat, leave those farms for the rightful allottees. If those occupying them refuse to comply with the court order, the law will take its course,” he warned.
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