Traditional rulers in Bendeghe Ekiem Community, Etung Local Government Area of Cross River State, have urged youths occupying disputed plots within the government-owned Cocoa Estate to obey a subsisting court order and immediately vacate the farms.
The monarchs warned that continued occupation of the plots in defiance of the court’s directive could attract legal consequences and undermine the community’s commitment to the rule of law.
Chairman of the Crisis Management Committee of Mbume Blocks of Clans, Chief Moses Ndep, gave the warning while speaking with journalists in Bendeghe Ekiem on Monday.
Ndep stressed that respect for court judgments remains essential for maintaining peace and order, noting that communities and individuals must refrain from taking the law into their own hands.
According to him, the disputed cocoa plots were legally allocated to contractors by the previous administration under a consent judgment of the court, and any attempt to resist the judgment could portray the community as being in contempt of lawful authority.
“The courts have spoken on the matter. As law-abiding citizens, we must respect and obey court orders. Anything short of that could expose those involved to legal sanctions,” he said.
The traditional ruler spoke shortly after the handover of keys to a building donated by former Special Adviser on Cocoa Development, Dr Oscar Ofuka.
The facility will serve as temporary accommodation for workers of a construction firm working on a 10-kilometre Ikom-Obudu road project.
Ndep explained that the dispute originated from a consent judgment secured after cocoa-producing landlord communities sued
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