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Eviction: 1,415 cocoa farmers floor Gov Otu in court

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Governor Bassey Otu of Cross River State’s directive for 1,415 cocoa farmers to vacate their lands has been thwarted by a high court in Effraya, Etung Local Government Area. The court issued an interim injunction preventing the state government from carrying out the eviction.

The hectares of land had been allocated to the farmers by the immediate past administration led by Prof Ben Ayade. However, the state government’s cocoa allocation committee, chaired by Mr. Ebori Nku, deemed their occupancy illegal despite meeting all requirements.

Mr. Charles Mgbe and other allottees took legal action against the State government, represented by suit no. HE/16/2024, over the threat of eviction.

Representing the farmers, Counsel Ntufam Mba Ukweni Esq, SAN, approached the court seeking relief.

Presiding judge, Justice Amajama Eneji, granted the injunction, restraining the state government and its representatives from harassing, intimidating, or evicting the farmers.

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Justice Amajama emphasized the importance of justice and ordered the defendants to refrain from any actions against the farmers.

The court set the hearing for the motion on notice for April 29, 2024.

Counsel for the claimants reiterated the farmers’ rights and indicated that the government would be summoned to court. He emphasized that the farmers had fulfilled their obligations, and the government’s failure to honor the agreement was unjust.

The court’s order prohibits the government from evicting the farmers until they present their case.

Issues regarding the allocation and ownership of cocoa farms in Etung have arisen following the inauguration of a new cocoa allocation committee by Governor Otu.

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Senate Confirms NCC Executive Commissioners  

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The Senate confirmed two nominees appointed by President Bola Tinubu as Executive Commissioners in the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) on Tuesday.

The nominees, Rimini Haraya Makama and Sunday Abraham Oshadami, were confirmed after the Senate Committee on Communications, chaired by Senator Bilbis Aliyu Ikra, presented its report and recommended their approval.

The committee found the nominees to be qualified and suitable for the positions after conducting a screening process. Makama was appointed as Executive Commissioner for Stakeholder Management, while Oshadami was appointed as Executive Commissioner for Technical Services.

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Nullification Of Tenure Extension For Rivers LG Councils, Victory For Democracy — G60 Lawmakers 

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The G60 opposition federal lawmakers in the House of Representatives have welcomed a Rivers State High Court judgment that nullified the tenure extension for local government chairmen and councillors in the state.

The court declared the Local Government Law No. 2 of 2024, which extended the tenure of local government chairmen by six months, invalid and inconsistent with the 1999 constitution and Section 9(1) of Rivers State Law No. 5 of 2018, which fixes a three-year tenure for local government chairmen and councillors.

The lawmakers described the judgment as a victory for democracy and an end to legislative impersonation in the state, and called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct bye-elections to replace the 27 lawmakers who defected from the PDP to the APC in breach of the Electoral Act and 1999 Constitution.

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Biafra Day: IPOB asks WAEC to postpone exams in Southeast on May 30

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The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has called on the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to reschedule exams planned for May 30, which is observed as ‘Biafra Day’ in the Southeast.

IPOB also urged Nnamdi Azikiwe University to postpone its convocation set for the same date.

Emma Powerful, the IPOB spokesman, explained that a sit-at-home would be observed on May 30 to commemorate Biafra Day, emphasizing that WAEC should not put children’s lives at risk on this unsafe day in the Southeast.

In an open letter to the WAEC Board and UNIZIK Vice Chancellor, Professor Charles Okechukwu Esimone, Powerful wrote, “The attention of the global family and movement of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) led by the indomitable leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu has been drawn to your proposed University’s convocation date on 30th May, 2024, and WAEC examinations.

“Please reschedule your convocation and exams to a new date because May 30 is Biafra Heroes Day, a sit-at-home day for all Biafrans in Biafra Land.

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“If you consider yourself a Biafran, you ought to know that May 30 is Biafra Heroes Day. We remind the University Management and WAEC Board that May 30 each year is a sacred day set aside to honor Biafra heroes and heroines who sacrificed their lives for Biafrans’ survival.

“That day is sacred, and Biafrans sit-at-home to remember and honor our heroes who fell during the Nigerian genocidal war against Biafrans from 1967 to 1970. The killings have continued to this day.

“No public events are expected in Biafra Land on this day. Biafra Heroes Day is a public holiday and a sit-at-home in Biafra Land to honor our fallen heroes and heroines. All markets, schools, banks, government, and private offices should be closed.

“Movement of persons and vehicles is not allowed, except for essential or emergency services like health workers, ambulances, fire services, filling stations, hospitals, etc.

“The West African Examination Board should not endanger the lives of children as the day is not safe in Biafra territory. It is a day to stay indoors to honor those who sacrificed for our survival, and they must reschedule to another day. May 30 is Biafra Remembrance Day. If anything happens to the children scheduled for that day, they will regret it.

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“Through this open letter, IPOB calls on the Vice Chancellor and Management of Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK) Awka and any other group with programs scheduled for May 30, 2024, to postpone their events.”

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