Cross River cocoa farmer accuses rival of kidnapping his staff

A cocoa farmer operating within the Agbokim Waterfalls community and Abonita government-owned cocoa estate in Etung local government area of Cross River State, Mr Mbu Liku has alleged that his business rival Mr Asu Njor, has a fair knowledge of the whereabouts of his 24-year-old worker, simply known as Mike.

Liku also alleged that the government task force on cocoa operating within the Abonita cocoa estate which had stormed the cocoa plantation also had a hand in the disappearance of his worker.

Like disclosed that the task force had bundled three of his workers and dumped them in the Ikom Area Police command police cell.

Liku now wants both his business rival Mr Njor and the task force to produce his workers.

“Njor Asu an indigene of Agbokim, cannot come and inherit someone’s land at Ajassor.

“He should be called to order so that he can stay off my family property.

“On Sunday, July 28, 2024, I left the village for Calabar only to be told that Asu Njor sent some thugs on the pretence that they were members of a task force to arrest anyone they find in my farm.

“As the taskforce got to the farm they succeeded in bundling three of my workers and took them to the police and left them in police custody.

“What I don’t understand is the reason why the third worker, Mike, is not among the three who are still in police custody. He’s been missing.

“As I speak, one person is still missing, they brought out two and I didn’t know what they had done to the third person. I have the document with me showing that the government had disbanded the task force, so I don’t know if the one Mr Asu Njor, had been parading with is his personal task force or that of the government.

Reacting to the allegations, Mr. Asu Njor, said “We saw two of their boys in our cocoa farm and we arrested them and handed them over to the police for stealing our cocoa.

They are living at Okundi, but we caught them right on our farm and handed them over to the police any other person he is mentioning we don’t know.

“The two we arrested were caught harvesting our cocoa and we did what any law-abiding citizen would have done by handing them to the police.

Commander of Ikom Area command, Mr Akanonu Frank also confirmed that the two were in their custody.