How A Civilian, Osca Ofuka Led Over 200 Mobile Police Officers  To Storm Etung Cocoa Communities In Cross River State

By The Nigerian Voice

Report from our sources in Etung Local government of Cross River State has revealed how a powerful civilian led over two hundred mobile Police officers to invade cocoa farm communities. The battle for the control of cocoa estates in Etung is taking a new but dangerous dimension. The embattled Special adviser to Gov. Ayade on Cocoa Development and Control, Mr Osca Ofuka has redefined the struggle for the control of the Cocoa estate farms located in Etung. As the scandal of illegal allocation of cocoa estates and the missing accrued funds for the Communities is unveiled, desperate efforts are ongoing to cow down the indegens of the Communities.

Recall that in December last year, there was a story published in The Leadership Newspaper that Cross River State Judicial panel on #ENDSARS has found AIG Mbu guilty of murder and had also ordered him to allow the Clan Head of his Hometown, Abia who is also the Paramount Ruler of Etung, entrance back to his community. People were concernedabout the Panel’s judgement though AIG Mbu did not consider it serious because he knew the persons behind the blackmail and mischief. The community banned the Clan Head/Paramount Ruler because of heavy allegations of corrupt practices in Cocoa estate allocations against him. One wonders how the Community’s decision became AIG Mbu’s burden. The mischievous speculations by few faceless individuals was that AIG Mbu was instrumental to the traditional ruler’s ordeal/

The Chairman of the Panel is Justice Bassey Eden Rtd while the secretary, Mr. Tanko Ashang -the attorney general and commissioner for justice and others. Curiously, Community matters does not fall under ENDSARS and Cult infighting does not also fall under ENDSARS. Since AIG Mbu did not serve as a DPO, Area commander or CP in Cross River Stateit deepens the curiosity on why he was arraigned by the panel and consequent verdict of murder against him.

Remember that all these happenings were activated the very first time AIG Mbu cried out over injustice in Cocoa royalties of his people and the Cocoa Landlord Communities of Etung LGA. Today, the clan Head of his community,Emmanuel Oru Ojong who is also the Paramount Ruler of Etung has been suspended from office both as clan Head and Paramount Ruler because the evidence of misconduct is preponderant on him.

It is an open secret in the entire cocoa estate Communities that since AIG Mbu has been on the heels of Oscar Ofuka on the monumental fraud of cocoa estate royalty Money, attacks of various dimensions from various interests have been unleashed on him. An instance is a publication from the office of the attorney general titled: “Cross River sues retired AIG Mbu for murder” on the 21st of June 2021. All these according to observers are to bring Mbu to submission so that there will be a reset to the status quo.

According to our sources, the new phase of the struggle for the soul of Etung Cocoa estates has just began as the former Commissioner of Police, Sikiru Akande was transferred out of Cross River State Police Command and has since been replaced. However, before the arrival of the new Commissioner, the Command’s Deputy Commissioner in-charge of operations, Francis Alonyenu and his deputy, an assistant commissioner were suspected to be on the payroll of Oscar Ofuka the embattled adviser to Gov. Ayade on Cocoa development. .The Deputy Commissioner in-charge of operations, Francis Alonyenu immediately released fifty (50) Police mobile force (PMF) personnel to Oscar. In seven Toyota Hilux vehicles he dispatched them to Etung to take over the Etome community because they are against Oscar, Mbek and AIG Njom Rtd. The PMF men were led by a civilian, Mr Oscar Ofuka. In flagrant breach of police operations protocol, they did not report to the Area commander but went to the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Etung. The DPO we learnt called the assistant commissioner in-charge of operations to inform him that the PMF personnel have arrived but did not come with any communication signal. The Acting Paramount Ruler was with the DPO. The assistant commissioner in-charge of operations in exhibition of impunity, shouted at the DPO saying that it is not his business the men and Oscar are posted to Etome. The alleged utterance of the assistant commissioner in-charge of operations, "We will finish this Mbu" is sadly unfortunate, observers noted.

The Paramount Ruler who is also the clan Head of AIG Njar Njom's community stated what he observed while he was with the DPO and also the bewilderment that the police team are led by Oscar. The Acting Paramount Ruler also statedhow Oscar's co-conspirator, Mbek had in the previous week hired ten MPF personnel from Calabar to Etome. On arrival to the town, they started shooting sporadically. The Mopol men and Mbek were asked to leave Etome and they left . The acting Paramount ruler was advised to go back home because the police will come and explain their mission to him in his palace. Consequent upon the attacks on Police structures by the unknown gunmen in South East and South South, over 15 Units of MOPOL were sent to Police Commands to guard and protect Headquarters and Divisions. Rather than post these men to these locations they were deployed to the cocoa estates under the command of Oscar Ofuka. Ironically, a unit from Zamfara with all security challenges in that state have a unit in Ikom led by one DSP Onah.

As the PMS personnel got to Etome and started disembarking with Oscar, the youths came out, stood their ground and Said they don't want any police interference, reassuring them of the calm state of their community. That was how they shamelesslyleft and a video clip of the inglorious adventure became a trending video on the social media space. The video, we learnt was later forwarded to Francis by AIG Mbu with a remark: ".. see what you have reduced our PMF personnel to? " Note that AIG Mbu all this while was in Abuja

In another development, DC Francis was said to have gone to the new CP and unleashed falsehood on the DPO. The DPO was immediately transferred out in order to spite AIG Mbu. The Out-gone DPO of Etung was not posted there at anyone’sinstance AIG Mbu is known for non Interfere in whatever goes on with the police force but at hand to protect the institution that he served for over thirty years. Analysts think that the new CP displayed unprecedented unprofessionalism and arrogance in his in his maiden conference by stating that he is not in Cross River to take orders from any so called retired senior officer and any retired senior officer who wants to undermine security in the state will be rudely dealt with. This is the highest degree of indiscipline for a young man who has just been promoted to the rank of a CP commentators noted. The indelible fact is that when Mbu was made an AIG in 2014, the new CP was a very Junior Assistant Commissioner.

It is on record that AIG Mbu facilitated logistics support for the command by personally appealing to Governor Ayade severally to procure at least sixty-five (65) vehicles for the police and support the Divisions, Area commands with not less than #300,000 monthly. AIG Mbu pressured the governor with a lengthy online article against him and others which created a soured relationship between the governor and AIG Mbu, The good news is that the governor procured those vehicles to support the police in Cross River State. It is also on record that AIG Mbu takes responsibility of the hosting of any CP who visits Ikom, yet he does not interfere with what they do. In his days as a Ccommissioner Police, AIG Mbu was not posted to a local command like Cross River State Command. He served as force Education officer, a communal posting. He served as Commissioner, police Mobile Force, also a command posting. He served as CP Oyo state command, CP River State command, CP FCT Police command. AIG zone 7 Abuja command (FCT, Niger and Kaduna) also as AIG zone 2 Lagos command (Lagos and Ogun). AIG Mbu’s career records speaks for him.

It is alleged that the already compromised police in the SCID tutored Oscar to write a petition against Charles and involve AIG Mbu of giving Charles arms. On Saturday the 28th Police from SCID Calabar sneaked into Ikom and whisked Pastor Charles to Calabar. The inclusion of AIG Mbu is aimed at embarrassing him as boasted by CP Alhassan. Pastor Charles is still languishing in detention. Charles’ family went to Area Command and the Divisions but but there was no entry record made. Pastor Charles Mgbe earned Oscar’s wrath when he heard that he visited AIG Mbu on the 17th of July 2021. Oscar was unsettled with the visit, thinking that his lieutenant may have come to reveal his nefarious activities and plotted against him.

Meanwhile, the Police have instituted a suite against Pastor Charles Mgbe: The Commissioner of Police verses Charles Mgbe, HC/Msc/274/21.

Pastor Charles Mgbe has filed a suite for the enforcement of his fundamental human rights: Pastor Charles Mgbe verses Commissioner of Police HC/62f/2021.

It bewilders the public that Police Mobile Force (PMF), 32 unit, Zamfara Led by DSP Onah is in Cross River State being used for illegal activities when bandits are rampaging the whole of Zamfara State. Cross River has two mobile squadrons: No 11 at Calabar and No. 75 at Obudu (Ayade PMF). Are they not enough to maintain peace in Cross River?

Commentators have insisted that the police high command must do the needful by investigating these grave allegations of misconduct against their senior officers in Cross River command. This is coming on the heels of damage control mechanism, conscientiously deployed by IGP Alkali Baba who is ever determined to reposition the force. This is yet another scandal too many for the force. The Police service Commission whose responsibility is saddled among others is to regulate the conduct of officers on the field must take note of the narration of their officers in Cross River command