Enough Is Enough: Etung Cocoa Farmers Cry Out Over Oscar Ofuka’s Alleged Rampaging Activities on Cocoa Estates

 

By Our Reporter 

A storm is brewing in the cocoa-rich lands of Etung Local Government Area, and its name is Oscar Ofuka.

Angry and exhausted, cocoa farmers operating within the government-owned estates in Etung are calling on the Cross River State Government to immediately reign in the rampage of Oscar Ofuka, a former aide to ex-Governor Ben Ayade, who has allegedly turned the peaceful cocoa estates into a theater of intimidation, torture, and lawlessness.

Martins Isaac, Pastor Ubi Ofem, and Obi Amba, speaking on behalf of the Concerned Cocoa Farmers, accuse Ofuka of leading a campaign of harassment, illegal arrests, torture, and dehumanization of farmers who acquired their farms through proper government channels.

“Ofuka is not the government. He is not above the law. Yet he walks the estates with the arrogance of a tyrant, using thugs and armed men in uniform to brutalize innocent farmers,” the group declared.

The most recent attack left a farmer with gruesome machete wounds, after Ofuka’s men allegedly descended on a farmland unprovoked. It took the swift intervention of community leaders to bring the attackers under control. They were later apprehended and moved to Calabar for investigation.

“This is not the first time,” said Pastor Ubi Ofem. “One man has caused too many tears, injuries, and even deaths in this place. How long will the government look away?”

The farmers say they have lost peace, productivity, and profit because of the constant siege laid by Ofuka, who they allege is illegally reclaiming farm plots already leased out by the state. Legitimate farmers now work in fear, with many abandoning their farms and investments to avoid confrontation or bodily harm.

“This is economic terrorism,” said Martins Isaac. “And if the state fails to act, we may be left with no choice than to defend ourselves. We refuse to be slaves on the land we paid the government to use.”

They are demanding immediate action from Governor Bassey Otu, the Ministry of Agriculture, and security agencies to put an end to what they describe as “Ofuka’s madness” before it spirals into chaos.

“Let it be on record,” said Obi Amba. “If this man is not stopped in his tracks, there will be a total breakdown of law and order in the cocoa estates. The people are angry, and rightfully so. The time to act is now.”