C/River Monarch’s Wife raises alarm over the disappearance of husband 

From Ene Asuquo Calabar

The wife of Clan head of Nkonib Quo clan, Ikot Ansa community, Calabar municipality local government area of Cross River State, Mrs. Arit Maurice Omin – Iso, has called on the abductors of her husband to release her husband.

Mrs Omin narrated that her husband was abducted from their residence on December 23, 2024 by armed men suspected to be security operatives at about 7pm  to unknown destination.

The monarch’s wife made the appeal while making comments on the  disappearance of husband during a chat with our correspondent in Calabar.

“I want my husband back home to join us, whoever that is holding my husband hostage should please release him to us. Chief is a peace maker who cannot even hurt a fly.  I don’t know why they are holding him hostage”. She queried.

Although  no security agent had admitted being in possession of the monarch whose whereabout is yet to be known since December 23,2024.

Findings by our correspondent however revealed that the Monarch’s travail began when he and other seven claimants dragged the state government in suit No: HC/314/2022 on behalf of  ( Ikot Ansa) Qua Clan to court challenging what they described as  illegal acquisition of 369.579 hectares of their communal land by the state government for private purpose of Summit Hills.

Subsequently,  six out of eight claimants decided to withdraw from the suit on grounds that they were not ready to fight against State government because they were not consulted before the case was filed in court.

Determined to follow the matter to the latter, Ntufam Maurice Omin Iso and Ntufam Donatus Etim continued with the matter in Court and eventually settled the case with the government, executed terms of settlement.

Upon  realizing that Etim and Iso were making some  progress with the matter, Ntufam Paul Asim Ita with members of his faction returned to  same court with another application  for  joinder as defendants against Ntufam Maurice Omin Iso and Ntufam Donatus Etim alleging  that  Maurice and  Donatus did not seek  community’s consent  before going to court.

After  hearing of the application, the court dismissed and  refused the joinder on  grounds that, the parties seeking to be joined having withdrawn from the suit cannot in turn bring an application for joinder as defendants against the claimants that is  Maurice and  Donatus  in the same suit

On March 7,2022, at High court 2, the presiding judge, Hon Justice B.T Ebuta,  after describing  the act of the  six claimants  as an attempt to frustrate  Justice of the Case, ruled against the parties seeking to be joined as defendants.

The court thereafter ordered the release of 23 hectares of the land to Maurice and  Donatus  in compliance with the Judgment of the Court, The then  Attorney General of Cross River State late Mr. Tanko AShang (SAN), of blessed memory, thereafter wrote in a letter in  March 31, asking  to  Surveyor General of the State to carve out  23 hectares  from the contentious plot  of land  and hand it  over to Maurice  and Donatus  in line with the consent judgment of the High Court.

A letter dated March 11, 2022 from Summit Hills also directed the Surveyor General  of the state to follow suit  to the claimants.

Our correspondent gathered that In compliance and obedience with the consent judgment the Attorney General of the State on September 30,2022 wrote to Ntufam Maurice and Ntufam Donatus  formally handing over the 23 hectares of the said land to the claimants.

 When Paul Asim Ita and his faction who had earlier withdrawn from the case and also failed in all their efforts to frustrate the judgment, they again filed a case in the High Court in HC/147/2022 asking the court to set aside the consent judgment entered in HC/314/2021.