Mrs. Joy Ofuka, the wife of the former Special Adviser to the Cross River State Governor on Cocoa Development and Control, has appealed to Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to address what she describes as the unlawful arrest and detention of her husband, Dr. Oscar Ofuka, by Governor Otu’s State Security Adviser, Retired Major General Okoi Obono.
Mrs. Ofuka expressed her concerns in response to her husband’s detention in Calabar on Wednesday. She described the situation as a misuse of political power aimed at intimidating and oppressing former aides of Governor Ayade, noting that political offices are temporary.
In a telephone interview with our correspondent, Mrs. Ofuka stated, “I still do not understand the gang-up against my husband despite his efforts to ensure that money owed to cocoa landlords for sixteen years was paid.” She sees the detention as a strategy to distract from ongoing court proceedings and to intimidate her husband.
Mrs. Ofuka clarified that no funds were diverted to her husband’s private account, emphasizing, “All the money used by the state government to settle the cocoa landlords passed through the state government account via the Smart Gov. platform as authorized by the court’s consent judgment.”
Calling on the Inspector-General of Police, she said, “I am calling on IGP Kayode Egbetokun, who I believe abhors oppression, to intervene and stop this evil against my husband.” She underscored her belief in the law, stating that once a matter is in court, no one should be arrested, yet the reverse is happening.
Mrs. Ofuka recounted the ordeal her family has faced, including her husband’s transfer to multiple detention locations. “What crime or treason did my husband commit to be treated this way? He was taken to Afi Army Barracks, then Akim Barracks, and finally to Federal Housing Police Station and Zone 6 Police Command in less than 48 hours.”
She described the impact on her family, saying, “His kids and I are traumatized. We have not been able to sleep for the last three days. We are emotionally drained. My husband has not siphoned any funds; all cash from the lease of government cocoa farms was paid into the Cross River State government’s account.”
Addressing the rationale behind the arrest, she suggested it might be due to failed attempts to evict allottees who had legally paid for farms. “This arrest and detention seem to be a ploy to scare off genuine beneficiaries,” she said.
Mrs. Ofuka urged well-meaning Nigerians and Cross Riverians to recognize her husband’s innocence. “He was merely an agent of the immediate past administration led by Prof. Ben Ayade, and the funds from the farm leases were used to settle longstanding debts owed to cocoa landlords.”
In response to the allegations, State Security Adviser Rtd. Maj. Gen. Okoi Obono denied any involvement in Dr. Ofuka’s arrest and detention. In a telephone call, he stated, “I am not responsible for his arrest and detention. The allegations are not true but lies.”
