The Cross River State Government has been barred from evicting 1,415 cocoa plots allottees from its government-owned cocoa estate. This decision was handed down by Justice Ebri Eno of the State High Court in Effraya town, in response to a suit (HE/16/2024) between Mr. Charles Mgbe and the allottees.
The court issued an interlocutory injunction directing the state government to refrain from evicting the smallholder farmers until the case is resolved.
Speaking after the court session, counsel to the claimants, Ntufam Mba Ukweni, SAN, said, “The order of injunction restrains the defendants, their agents and servants from harassing, threatening, intimidating or evicting the allotees.”
He maintained that his clients had paid for the plots which were allocated to them by the government of Cross River State under the smallholders scheme, in the Cross River State Cocoa Estate.
“Nobody is to disturb the claimants in their position and use of the land. The order is very clear.
“They have been given allocations. We have agreements prepared and signed by the Attorney General of the state and our clients paid money into the State Internal Revenue account,” he added.
