By Jonathan Ugbal
Family members and sources in the Cross River State Police Command say Governor Ben Ayade’s aide on Cocoa Development, Mr. Oscar Ofuka has been moved to Lagos State after spending a night detained in Calabar.
This was despite the Police Command saying he had been released following the manner which he was arrested.
Mr. Ofuka was abducted in a gestapo styled operation by Police officers acting based on a petition against Ofuka whose contents is yet to be made public.
CrossRiverWatch had reported the connection between his arrest and the Cocoa Estate in Etung as well as alleged disagreement between Governor Ayade and retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Joseph Mbu.
“He slept at the Command and left yesterday morning for Lagos in the company of our colleagues,” a Police source told this reporter.
“They told us they have taken him to Alagbon in Lagos,” a sibling confirmed.
Alagbon is the pseudo name of the Police Force CIID annex in Alagbon, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
A friend who spoke with him told this reporter that: “When I called, late last night (Wednesday), he simply said that he was writing his statement and dropped the call.”
Ofuka, caught in the middle of a disagreement between Ayade, Mbu and Cocoa landlord communities in Etung was moved at about 4:00AM on Wednesday by the same team that abducted him.
Police sources say the CP, Sikiru Akande had ordered that he be brought back since there was some discrepancy in the manner of his arrest.
However, after a lengthy questioning session and dozens of calls, the team was allowed to conclude their mission.
The team is said to have informed the Akim Area Command but after the gestapo styled arrest, did not document a report before proceeding with him to Lagos.
“They were to fly him to Lagos but it seems the driver miscalculated the route and that was why they were intercepted by our colleagues at (Goodluck Ebele Jonathan) bypass,” the Police source said.
“A team even arrived the (Margaret Ekpo International) airport before those that were to accompany him to Lagos were intercepted,” the source added.