Mr Asu Njor is a key player and stakeholder in the cocoa sector of Cross River State. He is also an allottee in the state government-owned Cocoa Estate in Abonita, Etung Local Government Area of the state. In this interview with CompassNG correspondent in Calabar, Njor denied every allegations leveled against him regarding the whereabout of one of the workers of another major player in the industry, Mr Mbu Liku, who accused him of having a hand in the disappearance of one his workers, one Mr Mike. Excepts:
What’s the total land mass of the area in contention?
The total land mass for Agbonita Cocoa is 3,000 hectares, but government only planted between Etomi and Agbokim, they planted only 422 hectares. The other land has been taken over by the host community as encroachment, so I don’t know how government that is still having extra land which is supposed to expand will now go to encroach on somebody’s land, when it has not even exhausted its own land, but is now encroaching into people’s land, so I can’t understand, it’s funny.
What is there is that, as they were planting, they started planting from Agbokim towards Etomi, they were supposed to extend towards Ajassor area, but they could not continue, that’s why I’m saying out of the 3,000 hectares, they only planted 322 hectares, so the Ajassor side that they were supposed to plant that they didn’t plant, they have encroached and they are planting cocoa and other economic trees.
Funny enough, Mr. Mbu Liku has now crossed even the stream that is there and now entered inside part of the 422 hectares that government planted and he is now trying to claim ownership.
There’s no single individual in Agbonita Cocoa Estate who planted his cocoa farm in hectares, that you can see a demarcation between this bloc and that bloc. I challenge that person to come and show us his farm where you can see tractor lines, bloc parts, like we can say 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B and so on. It is only government that planted cocoa in that manner.
The last report alleged that you actually held one of Mr Mbu Liku’s workers hostage, what exactly happened?
The allegation is nothing but character assassination. He wants to malign my name. Reason being that he is even the one who solicited for the release of that same Mike who was caught in government-owned cocoa estate stealing cocoa allotted to me. Mike and his accomplices were handed over to the Agbokim Police Station. You can go and find out and of course they subsequently transferred them to Okuni Area Command in Ikom Local Government Area of the state.
The same Mbu Liku was the fellow who sent a lawyer to get bail for Mike. He even appealed to the Commanding Officer of Afi Barracks to discuss with the area command for the release of this same Mike and one Emmanuel who was arrested together and two others. Surprisingly, we heard that the same Mike that he solicited for and was released is the one he is raising false alarm about, the he was missing, and now pointing accusing finger at me that I know his whereabout. As I speak, I don’t even know the Mike, I don’t even know him before this incident.
Why would you say you don’t know him, when it has been alleged that your workers are the ones who captured the young man and tied him to a tree in the bush, but was probably set free because if media reports. How would you react to this?
It is not true. It’s a lie from the pit of hell. From what I gathered, the young man escaped when other suspects were arrested. That same day others were arrested, he escaped, as he escaped, but unknown to him that his partners in crime had been taken to the police station. He actually went back to the farm in search his other three accomplices, that was when he was arrested. I realized he was arrested the next day, he went in search of the other three because he didn’t know their whereabout, so on getting to farm to search for them, he was also apprehended and handed over to the Agbokim Police Station, where he was subsequently transferred to Okuni Police Station. So the issue of tie or they did not tie is an unfounded story, because that’s the story that Mbu Liku carries everyday when he wants to make his case serious, he resorts to making mischief.
What is your message to him regarding these allegations?
My message to him is that he should stop deceiving the public by sending false information and trying to assassinate my character, because I face issues and not individuals.
And for his claim that the 32 hectares at Abonita Cocoa Estate, which he alleged is in contention is owned by one person, he should appeal if his interest is affected and he should appeal suit number HM/73/2020, which declared that the 32 hectares belong to the state government of Cross River and not late Chief Ogar Assam of Ajassor community.
But Mbu Liku has authentic documents showing that the 32 hectares in contention belongs to late Ogar Assam?
I disagree with that claim. To put the records straight, the Cross River State government is in full possession of the entire Abonita cocoa Estate since its establishment in 1976. Late Chief Assam of blessed memory died on February 10, 1974, has no claim of 32 hectares of cocoa farm at Abonita government-owned cocoa estate as claimed by Mbu Liku. Facts available showed that Chief Assam died two years before the establishment of the estate. So why is Mbu Liku still making this false claim that the 32 hectares at Abonita, which he had artificially put in contention belongs to his late uncle, Chief Assam?
