Protest Rocks Cross River Community Over alleged Illegal Mining by a business mogul, Okechuku

By Ene Ene, Calabar

Hundreds of youths in Bendeghe Affi community, Ikom local government area in Cross River State has took to the streets of the community protesting moves by an Enugu based businessman, Henry Okechuku, to commence illegal exploitation of iron ore and timber logging from the community forest.

The aggrieved youths who were in their numbers carried placards chanting war songs, with inscriptions, “We disagree with illegal stone mining of any form. “Chief Henry stop logging and mining of solid minerals of any form in Bendeghe Affi,”

“Timber logging and mining would amount to destruction of our cocoa farms. One ton of cocoa is N3m whereas a ton of iron ore is N10, 000, 00, stay clear from our land. Cocoa remains mainstay of our economy”. The placards read.

Addressing youths at Chief Hillary Ndoma’s residence, Bendeghe Affi community, the group spokesperson Comrade David Obi-Akong, said “Our chief, Chief Victor Tangban, told us that he has taken off his hands from anything that concerns mining.

“And that our community elders had also removed their hands from anything related to stone exploitation in our land. Having come to realization that cocoa is valuable than iron ore. “As a people of Abanko- Olokpo , we have taken our decision against stone exploitation of any kind in our community,

“Anyone who had soiled his or her hands by collecting money from chief Henry Okechuwu to pave way for illegal mining or timber logging does so at his peril. Don’t destroy our cocoa farms in the name of mining or logging.

“ We thank God that a senior chief for our two villages of Abanko-Olokpo, chief Victor Tangban has told us that that his hands are clean regarding controversial mining and logging issue.

“This is why we are using this rare privilege to ask Chief Henry Okechuckwu, not come close to our forest to destroy our common heritage which is cocoa and forest”. He maintained.

In a swift reaction to the protest and allegations leveled against him and his firm, Chief Henry Okechuckwu said that the allegations are lies generated from the pit of hell and said, “ This is wickedness, I created that access road into the community.

“I constructed Opu- Batip bridge to link Bendeghe Affi –Opu road, that enable me to lift mining equipment to the mining sites in 2018.

Continuing, “they are talking about timber logging, I’am not interested in logging, am interested in mining which I genuinely obtained a incense from federal government to commence mining in the community”.

“Ask them if I have ever taken a piece of wood from their community. I cannot invest hundreds of millions to construct a bridge and suddenly am told not to kick-start my mining business” he stated.