Cross River Cocoa Farmer Seeks DSS Probe Of Attack On His Workers

A cocoa farmer at the Abonita Cocoa Farm in Etung local government area of Cross River State, Mr. Mark Prince has called on the State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mrs. Roseline Izuagbe to Investigate alleged attack of his six workers by a another farmer, Mr. Asu Njor.

Prince alleged that Mr. Njor attacked his six workers on October 2, 2024 with thugs at the Abonita Cocoa Plantation, inflicting various degrees of injuries on them.

The aggrieved farmer made the call while speaking with journalists on Sunday in Calabar, the Cross River State capital, stressing that the injured workers were receiving treatment at the General Hospital in Ikom.

Prince also accused Major General Okoi Obono (Retd), the special adviser on security matters to Governor Bassey Otu of compromising the security at the 32-hectares Abonita Cocoa Estate, where he shared a boundary with Government Cocoa Estate in the area.

He called on the DSS to investigate the alleged infractions and sanction the culprits.

“I am calling on the Director, Department of State Services Security Services (DSS), because there is no way you can sit at the comfort of your home and put up a document, stopping the army that used to patrol the Abonita axis, protecting lives and property of citizens from patrolling any longer because you want your personal interest to be protected.

“As I speak, if you go into the farms now, you will see Njor’s thugs parading with arms in the cocoa farm. If this is not checked, I foresee an outbreak of lawlessness at Abonita axis between Agborkim and Ajassor neighbouring communities in the nearest future.

“Don’t you know that persistent attack can cause war between the two sisters communities of Ajassor and Agborki because, there is no way you machete people like this and we mobilise for revenge that it won’t result to a communal war,” Prince said.

He further called on Governor Otu to prevail on his aide, Obono, to explain the motive behind stopping the Nigerian Army from patrolling the Abonita Cocoa Estate allegedly renowned for criminal activities.

He also cited instances where criminal cases reported at the Divisional Police Headquarters at Effraya were transferred to either Zone 6 Police Command in Calabar, or Abuja, “before you know it, victims suddenly turn to suspects.”

Narrating his ordeal, one of the victims Mr. Kelly Abang, who spoke on behalf of others at the Ikom General Hospital said, “I went to work for Mark Prince at the cocoa farm and one man called Chilo met us in the bush and asked us about the owner of the farm. We told him we were labourers working for Mark Prince.

“He demanded that I should call our master to speak with him; so I put a call across to Prince and they spoke with each other. Thereafter, Mr. Chilo (Asu Njor) asked us to continue with our work and he left in the company of the boys.

“Only for him to return back about 30 minutes later in company of armed young men who tortured us squarely and inflicted injuries on us with machetes.”

However, responding to the allegation, the accused, Mr. Njor also called Chilo, denied any involvement in the attack, stressing that he was in Calabar and not at the Abonita Farm on the day that Prince’s workers claimed they were attacked.

Similarly, retired Maj.Gen. Obono denied compromising security situation at the estate as alleged while stating that he had asked police to commence investigation into the matter.