An unhappy cocoa farmer in Etung local government area of Cross River State, Mr Mark Prince Mbu, has urged the Cross River State governor Bassey Edet Otu to step in and address the conflict affecting the state government-owned cocoa estate before it worsens.
Mbu made the plea while responding to questions from journalists on the matter in Calabar yesterday.
He expressed frustration over what he referred to as unfair treatment imposed on him and his family by the previous administration of Ben Ayade and called on the Otu administration to assist him in resolving his vulnerable situation.
“I am unhappy about the situation that has been imposed on me by the previous administration led by former special adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Cocoa Development and Control, Dr Oscar Ofuka.
“I have confidence that the new administration led by Senator Bassey Otu will respond to this appeal and intervene in this matter to bring it to a conclusion,” he asserted.
Mbu stated that the cocoa plot that has been in dispute is not a government property but a section of farmland that he inherited from his late father and questioned why the plot of cocoa had been transferred to the state government despite evidence of ownership.
The cocoa farmer declared that he was surprised when he discovered that the three unruly boys arrested by Efraya Police Division in Etung LGA for allegedly assaulting and restraining one of his workers, Mr Ifanyi Ikwe, to a tree and leaving him in pain were released by the police without trial.