Ikom LG Chair wants me dead – Clergyman cries out!

It’s a false claim – Police

Story by CrossRiverWatch admin

A clergyman and Pastor of Mercy Tabernacle, Ikom, Evangelist Alfred Asaba-Akong, has
alleged that the Executive Chairman of Ikom Local Government, Dr. Tony Ngban wants
him dead over his continued insistence on the return of land that the local
government allegedly grabbed from his family.

Evangelist Akong in a SOS message to crossriverwatch alleged that “against all known
norms of decency, the Ikom Local Government Council has forcibly grabbed our family
land for the construction of a trailer and tipper park. For attempting to say that
the approach that the government used in acquiring our land fell short of due
process, I have been threatened with death. Having compromised some of the chiefs
with money, the Chairman feels that all other issues should be swept under the
carpet but I will not give up until we get justice.”

“the police in Ikom have been willing collaborators in this injustice along with a
notorious drug dealer in Ikom here by name, Eskuty. Eskuty and his gang are now
keeping vigil over the land while the Police in Ikom have arrested and detained me
several times. Six policemen came in August again and arrested me and this time, it
was the Cross River State Attorney General, who I had earlier petitioned over the
matter, that called from Calabar before I was released. The Chairman then sent his
thugs under police cover to completely raze our church, Mercy Tabernacle. The church
is also gone. What is the business of the police in a matter that is purely a civil
matter. Just last week the Chairman called for a meeting and when I got there he
openly told me he will get rid of me. That he has given the chiefs money and cannot
understand why I’m still talking.”

But in a swift reaction from the Local Government Chairman, he told crossriverwatch
that “if you know Ikom well, you will agree that indiscriminate parking of trailers
had been a serious problem in town here. The council need a space for those trailers
to begin to park so that we can keep the streets accident free. When it was decided
on that land, I set up a committee which negotiated with the family and agreed on
N8m compensation”.

“Due to paucity of funds, we agreed on a down payment of N1m while the balance will
be paid periodically. When the family shared the money, Alfred was not around and
when he returned and heard the news, that was what made him angry. I still had to
release another N1m to the family to take care of him but he’s still talking. I
don’t know what his problem is. I didn’t threaten to kill him he is telling lies. I
sent my SA, Peace and Security to call him for a peace meeting and I thought we had
resolved it. If you go to the road now, go to four corners, you’ll see, the trailers
are not there again. The roads are free and that will prevent accidents”.

The Divisional Police Officer, DPO, Ikom Division, CSP A. Atieneke in a telephone
interview told crossriverwatch that Evangelist Alfred’s allegations are false
claims. Asked whether he is aware of Alfred’s claim of threat to his life, the DPO
said “who wants to kill him? It’s a false claim.” on whether the police have
arrested Mr. Alfred over the land dispute, the DPO said “there are so many files on
contentious land issues here before me and I can’t remember his own.”

When crossriverwatch inquired to know what contentious land matters where doing in a
police station and not a court of law since those are civil matters, the DPO quickly
told us “thank you” and cut the call.

A reliable source in the Attorney General’s office who did not want to be identified
told crossriverwatch that “a petition was duly sent to the AG by Evangelist Alfred.
The AG minuted on it and sent it to the Commissioner for Local Governments. I
understand the LG Commissioner wrote the Chairman to know his own position. We are
not aware of any negotiations or agreement to pay the family N8m. That has not been
brought to our knowledge. The last we heard of the matter is when Alfred called on
the phone recently that he had to escape from home because according to him, the LG
Chairman had sent thugs to his home to lynch him”.

In an earlier petition to the State Governor, Liyel Imoke, dated August 15, 2012 and
obtained exclusively by crossriverwatch, the Executive Director of Rainforest
Resource and Development Centre RRDC, Mr. Odey Oyama had alleged that “Preliminary
field investigations in Ikom appear to show that interest groups receive concessions
from leaders of communities contrary to the Laws of Cross River State and encroach
into government and family lands.” He lamented what he described as the shameful
involvement of the Ikom Local Government Council in the land racketeering.

“it is expected that the operations of Ikom LGA should be subject to the laws of
Nigeria. Unfortunately, the contrary appears to be the case in this instance. With
the utmost respect and humility, we write to draw your attention to the fact that,
absolutely without due process of the law, a very massive expanse of farmland at
Atimaka village in Nkum/Yala-Ikom community, in Ikom LGA belonging to the families
of late Chief Lifu Ogri, late Chief Ndoma Oba, late Chief Eba Erim, Pa Lifu Ojong,
Mr. Ndoma Eka, Mr. Ndoma Imo, Pa Ayuk Ogar, Pa Ogar Imo, Pa Eba Tawo, Pa Abara Imo,
Mbe Abung, and Pa Ofuka Owuna, has been forcibly and compulsorily acquired by the
Ikom Local Government Council. The families that own the agricultural and
residential lands and have been using and ocuppying the said land, in accordance
with the customs of the Nkum/Yala Community prior to the commencement if the Land
Use Act of 1978, are highly discontented about the measures adopted for the
acquisition of their family heritage and are distressed over the resultant lose of
livelihoods”. Mr. Odey accused the police if muddling up the issues and warned that
the matter had the potential to degenerate to communal disturbance.

In the same vein, the President of Nde Community in Lagos Mr. Ndoma Ndoma told
crossriverwatch that “it is customary for Ikom Council Chairmen to annex and share
family lands to their friends and acolytes. If the local government was sincere with
the aggrieved families, all inclusive negotiations would have taken place with
adequate compensation paid before commencement of work. But I hear from home that
work has commenced without any alternative for the land owners. The people must
insist on the payment of what they deserve before any further work goes on. And if
anything happens to Evangelist Isaac, the DPO and the LG Chairman should be held
responsible”.

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