By Nsan Ndoma-Neji, Calabar
A Cross River State High Court, sitting in Effraya, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State has extended an order of injunction which restrained the state government from chasing out cocoa allottees working in government cocoa farms up to May 6, 2024, pending when the motion for interlocutory injunction will be moved.
The high court, presided by Justice Amajama Enenji, in suit No.HE/16/2024 between Mr. Charles Mgbe, and other allottees of 1,415 hectares of cocoa plots, and the Cross River State government, ordered that beneficiaries of the cocoa farms should be allowed to continue with work in their cocoa farms up to May 6, 2024.
The adjournment of the case was considered by the court following agreement by lawyers of the claimants, Mba Ukweni, SAN, and I.I Eval Esq, who held brief for W. S. Ogar, counsel to the defendant.
Speaking with the media shortly after the adjournment of the matter, claimants’ counsel, Ukweni who gave a brief on the matter stated that his clients, within the ambit of the law, were in order to continue with work on their farms genuinely allocated to them pending court orders.
Ukweni said, “My learned friend, W S Ogar, is representing the defendants, but he is not available because he is bereaved, he sent this lawyer I I Eval to hold his brief, the same thing he told me was what he told Eval, that we should consent to adjournment for him.
“And I said it will be on condition that the order already made be extended to enable us move the application on notice for injunction, and he agreed.
“So that was exactly what happened, and the court has extended the order of injunction restraining the government from interfering in their right to the use and possession of the farm to May 6, that is the day that the motion for interlocutory injunction will also be moved.
Ukweni averred that the allottees would therefore have to continue to work on their plots of farm and awaits the decision of the court.
Ukweni said that the court has granted an order of injunction, restraining the state government from chasing the allottees out of their plots of cocoa allocated to them by immediate past administration.
He added, “So they have no reason not to continue their work, it’s rather the government and the people they have appointed that should be worried, because if they do anything contrary to the court order, it could be visited with sanctions.”
