By Magnus Effiong
As disagreement between the Cross River State government and cocoa farmers over the issues surrounding the government-owned cocoa estate in Etung local government area of the State continues, a Calabar-based human rights lawyer, Ntufam Mba Ukweni (SAN), has given a one-week ultimatum to the State Attorney General, Mr. Ededem Ani Esq. to retract a statement he allegedly made over the matter.
Recall that Ukweni’s law firm had, few weeks ago, reportedly inaugurated a taskforce committee to enforce a court order regarding the cocoa estate matters.
But, the Attorney General, who was not comfortable with the inauguration, had issued a public notice titled, ‘Re:constitution of illegal taskforce by Mba Ukweni SAN to enforce a court order in respect of Etung cocoa estate.’
In the said public notice, the Attorney general was quoted to have described Ukweni’s action as ‘illegal,’ and that Ukweni had no powers to inaugurate the taskforce committee.
But, in a media chat with newsmen, Sunday, Ukweni said,”I am giving them a 7-day ultimatum to retract the statement and apologize to me. If he doesn’t, it means he’s not honest with whatever discussions they’re going to have with me.”
Ukweni explained that the taskforce committee, which he Inaugurated, was for farmers with like minds and is called “Team Obey Court Order,” and that it was to protect farmers from violent individuals who used to attack them in their farms.
He cited a case where one of the allottees was killed while working in the farm he rented from government-owned Cocoa Estate management , and therefore expressed surprise that the killers were yet to be prosecuted.
