The Crisis Management Committee of the Mbume bloc of clans in Etung Local Government Area, Cross River State, has called for the immediate reinstatement of the suspended Paramount Ruler, HRM Ntufam Dr. Emmanuel Oru-Ojong.
Chairman of the committee, Ntufam Odu Ndep Moses, made the demand in Calabar, stressing that the lingering dispute over the throne of Etung can only end if the substantive monarch is returned to his seat.
The committee also urged the state government to prosecute the Clan Head of Ajassor community, Ntufam Anthony Ntui Eta, accusing him of defying a High Court order which, according to them, had declared him an impostor.
Comprising Abia, Bendeghe Ekiem, and Etomi communities, the Mbume bloc insisted that the creation of an “acting paramount ruler” is alien to Etung tradition. They said the judgment in suit No. HC/96/2022, delivered by Justice Elias Abuo, had settled the matter by affirming Oru-Ojong as substantive ruler and restraining Ntui Eta.
“The government must respect the court’s decision and compel Ntufam Anthony Ntui Eta to vacate the throne so peace can return to Etung,” the committee stated. “Defiance of the court order calls for justice. Only when Dr. Oru-Ojong is reinstated will order be restored in the traditional institution.”
The group appealed directly to Governor Bassey Otu to act swiftly, stressing that they held his administration in high regard and believed his intervention would uphold the rule of law.
“As civilized and law-abiding citizens, we do not expect any segment of society to go against the ruling of the High Court,” the chairman added. “Government, as arbiter, should recognize the judiciary and enforce its judgment.”
However, when contacted on phone, the Clan Head of Ajassor and acting paramount ruler of Etung, Ntufam Anthony Ntui Eta, dismissed the agitation. He said he had not received any formal notice calling for his removal.
“No one has written to me asking for my dethronement,” he said. “You cannot shave a man’s beard in his absence. Matters like this cannot be discussed casually on the telephone.”