Needless Bloodshed Over Boki Oil Palm Estate

Posted on March 25, 2017

BY  DAVID ODEY 

Indigenes of Boki in Cross River State are as worried as other peace-loving Nigerians about the recent violent disruption of the social and economic activities in the sleepy Okubushuyu community following its invasion by the police and armed thugs.

The cause of the crisis is the tussle over who controls the Boki Oil Palm Estate established in 1962 by Dr. Michael Opara who was the Premier of Eastern Region. The estate established to provide employment for people is currently being managed by Accredited Landlords Committee whose membership is drawn from the four communities that own the estate – Oku, Osokom, Irruan and Borum. In earlier times, the royalty from the estate was used to establish Boki Boys Secondary School now changed to Comprehensive Secondary School to accommodate girls.

The crisis escalated on Monday 20th March during the police invasion. A woman, Bukie Etta, was killed when bullets allegedly fired by an armed thug in company of the police hit her. Investigations revealed that the police had laid siege to Okubushuyu community on Saturday 18th March before the Monday 20th March sustained shooting spree that led to the sacking of the entire community. The victims escaped into nearby forests and villages to avoid being killed.

According to eyewitnesses, the invaders came with trucks to cart away palm produce and other items. On Friday 25 March, our correspondent in company of other journalists visited the affected community and saw the extent of damage done to properties in the community. A dark blue truck brought by the invaders was seen with deflated tyres. Inside it were looted palm produce, wheelbarrows and motorcycles about to be carted away but youths were said to have summoned courage to block the truck with a bold inscription ‘UGOCHUKWU’ and prevented it from leaving the community.

The home of Chief Fidelis Edor and other houses were also vandalized. Bullet marks were seen on the small concrete structure demarcating the junction at Oku. Bullet shells and live ammunition collected after the invasion were also shown to journalists by Oku youths. If not for the swift intervention by Major-General Moses Obi(retd), a prominent son of Oku, the incident could have snowballed in an uncontrollable mayhem and more bloodletting. The General left his Abuja base for Oku immediately he was informed about the crisis. On getting to Oku, he persuaded the warring groups to sheathe their swords and embrace peace.

Before the March 20 invasion, people in the community told journalists that the police had routinely stormed the community and indiscriminately arrested people and took them to Calabar. One of those arrested is 82-year old Sir Pius Otu Bisong, the Chairman of the estate Landlords Committee. Anthony Obi, the Secretary General of the committee, was also arrested along with others on trumped up charges of arming thugs to foment trouble. They were taken to Calabar where they were detained for several days but were not charged to court.

Barrister Mark Obi, the Special Adviser (Administration) to  Governor Ben Ayade, and a prominent Okubushuyu son, blamed the crisis on Barrister Tina Banku Agbor, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), who is also from Boki Local Government Area.

He said Boki has not known peace since Tina was appointed SSG. He stated that the oil palm estate belongs to Cross River State Council on Privatisation but that Tina wants to forcefully take over the estate by printing forms and selling them to her cronies to own plots in the estate.

Barrister Obi also accused the SSG of masterminding the indiscriminate arrest and intimidation of people of Okubushuyu by the police, adding that this continued until the five-day bloody siege the police laid to the community.

However, he also played a prominent role in quelling the crisis by contacting the appropriate authorities to intervene and urging people of his community to remain calm.

When Tina was contacted by some journalists over these allegations, she admitted that there was crisis in the community but denied having anything to do with it and promised to address the media on the issue.

Also speaking on the recent invasion, octogenarian, Sir Pius Otu Bisong, who was also arrested on trumped up charges and taken to Calabar, said the estate Landlords Committee of which he is the current chairman, was inaugurated in 2008 when Chief  M.T. Mbu was still alive.

According to him, “in 2012 investors came into the state to invest in the oil palm estate. We applied for our estate to be privatized like Ibiaye and Calaro estates which have been of great benefit to the workers in the two estates. In 2016, we reminded the government again about the privatization. We have been meeting the Deputy Governor, Prof Ivara Esu and the SSG on the issue. Both of them assured us that the government was interested in ensuring that the estate is privatized.

“Suddenly, Macthomy Agan (Special Adviser to the Governor on Infrastructure), from nowhere wrote to me that he had been sent to meet our committee. He refused to come from his hotel to meet us at the venue we chose. After about two weeks, he announced that he had suspended the manager of the estate, Peter Otu Ogar, and replaced him with Ogar’s assistant, Samuel Ayuk Otu. When we informed the SSG and the Deputy Governor about the action of Agan, they asked ‘Who sent him?’”

Sir Bisong further stated: “after that, it did not take long before we heard that a 14-member committee headed by the SSG had been picked to take over the management of the estate. Among them is Macthomy Agan. There was no official letter to that effect. But we objected to Macthomy’s inclusion in the committee because he is not from any of the four communities that own the estate.

“SSG said why should we reject Macthomy’s appointment? It was in the process of resolving the issue through a series of meetings that Macthomy led the police to arrest me and others and took us to Calabar on trumped up charges that landlords gave youths guns to go and shoot people in the estate.

“The solution to the crisis is dialogue. That is what I told the SSG. I told her that will serve everybody better. Those who paid for plots in the estate between January and July this year should be allowed to complete their tenancy. But the SSG rejected the advice and seeks immediate takeover of the 428 hectares of oil palm estate.”

The Secretary General of the Landlords Committee of the estate, Anthony Obi, said he is saddened by the events that led to the sacking of Okubushuyu and the killing of Bukie Etta. Mrs Barong Odu and her daughter, Mary Odu, were injured during the invasion, he said. According to him, the incident was a fallout of “the quest by Barrister Tina Agbor to take over the estate and to actualize than plan, she used Macthomy to print forms and sell to people who want plots in the estate. What currently holds is the small holder scheme whereby people buy plots for six months and renew tenancy when it expires.

“Currently, the Council on Privatisation manages the estate pending its privatization. But the SSG has unilaterally abrogated the council and set up a 14-member committee, which she heads, to manage it.

“As part of the takeover scheme, they arrested some of us and the estate manager, Peter Ogar. Macthomy was with the police when they came to arrest us. He is working hand in gloves with the SSG to stoke the crisis which also has a political undertone. Those who want to take over the estate want it for themselves. Let it be known that Okubushuyu is not at war with Bafin. Bafin are our brothers.”

When Macthomy was contacted at Okundi on Friday, he denied the allegations leveled against him and said: “for about six months thugs employed by politicians have been causing mayhem.

“The  Governor gave me the mandate to take over the management of the estate. Before now, it was managed by the Barrister Amiye-led Council on Privatisation. We came and told them we have come to take over the management of the estate. That was in September last year.

“There was resistance by the management of the estate headed by Peter Ogar. He employed thugs to prevent us from taking over. They even attacked staff of my department and blocked roads.”

Agan denied selling forms for allocation of plots and pocketing the money. “We printed 1,000 forms and sold each for N1,000 and the money went into government’s coffers. At the moment there is no credible company to manage the estate. There is a cabal managing the company. There are less than 100 people existing as real owners of plots in the estate. Over 400 of the plots are in ghost names. This has to stop.”

Agan further stated: “other estates will be privatized. It is a gradual process. We will go to Nsadop and Boje. We will generate money to pay the workers.”

Meanwhile, residents in Camp 3 of the estate were seen moving out their families and belongings from the estate when journalists visited the estate on Friday. They said those who want to take over the estate asked them to pay N100,000 as rent  which they said they could not afford.

As tension remains thick in the air at Okubushuyu, the Governor Ayade-led government should quickly find a way to resolve the issue amicably to prevent further bloodshed.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

The Hon. Segun Odunmbaku administration in collaboration with ETL Engineering Services today flagged off... Continue
President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Abdullahi Usman Bello as the... Continue
  The Oyo State Government has said it would implement stringent measures to curb... Continue
President Bola Tinubu has condemned the reprehensible acts perpetrated by kidnappers across the country,... Continue
    The Executive Governor of Imo State,  Senator Hope Uzodimma, has called for... Continue
DIANA-MARY NSAN The Honourable Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Owan Enoh, has stated... Continue
Oyo State College of Nursing and Midwifery has extended the sale of Basic Midwifery... Continue
  In a testament to its commitment to capacity building and empowerment, the Executive... Continue
MICHAEL AKINOLA  A man, Ugochukwu Onuoha, will be spending the rest of his life... Continue
The Oyo State Government has reiterated that the ban on collection of illegal levies... Continue

UBA


Access Bank

Twitter

Sponsored