Gov. Bassey Otu.
By Anietie Akpan, Calabar
Civil SocietyOrganizations have called for the immediate release of an Environmental Activist Odey Oyama, saying his arrest is and detention by the Nigerian Police signifies a rising trend of abuse and repression.
On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, environmental activist and director of the Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC), Mr. Odey Oyama and six others were arrested by Police officers from the Ikom division of the Cross River State Police Command.
He was taken from his Okuni home and driven to Calabar where he was kept incommunicado, without legal representation and without formal charges for at least 24 hours. Odey Oyama is a resolute campaigner for the protection of the rainforest and biodiversity in Cross River state, a cause that has brought him in constant confrontation with illegal loggers who plunder the rich forest ecosystem of Cross River state.
In recent times, Odey Oyama has been engaged in a fierce campaign against Chinese business concerns working with indigenous collaborators who are logging the Effi Rainforest, a trend that has resulted in massive deforestation, dissipation of wildlife and loss of biodiversity.
After detaining him for over 144 hours, the police is arraigning him today at Magistrate Court 1, Calabar.
Pillar Today gathered that he is being charged for promoting communal strife which the Director of Peace Point Development Foundation (PPDF), Mr. Umo Isuaiko and the the Executive Director of Development Concerns (DEVCON), Dr. Martins Egot, said such charge is deliberate to keep him incommunicado.
Isuaiko in a chat with Pillar Today said, “it is just a case of giving a dog a bad name so that you can hang it. The main people to be arrested and charged to court are the Chinese illegal loggers and their cohorts and not Odey”.
In a statement by the Executive Director of Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Comrade NnimmoBassey, Egot of DEVCON, Isuaiko of PPDF, Executive Director of We the People (WTP), Mr. Ken Henshaw and 28 others said it was against the law for Odey to be detained beyond 24 hours without trial and “the action of the Nigeria Police has once again demonstrated flagrant disregard for due process and their role in stifling dissenting voices, especially when vested business interests are at stake”.
They said “this instance, Odey Oyama a conscientious objector to the destruction of the environment, rather than enjoy the protection of the government, is being systematically persecuted.
“As civil society organizations and activists in Nigeria, we are familiar with the selfless campaigns of Odey Oyama that have earned him national and international recognition and have helped to preserve the ecological heritage of Cross River State. We are therefore alarmed that rather than support the efforts of Oyama and other campaigners like him to check the illegal destruction of the Cross River forests, the Police are complicit in weakening his resolve and repressing him. It is even more alarming that he was arrested and detained without formal charges against all extant Nigeria and international laws.
“We are also concerned that this latest arrest is symbolic of the growing intolerance of the government towards the legitimate activities of civil society organizations. In Cross River State in particular, we have witnessed a pattern of arrest and detention of journalists and activists with the flimsiest excuses, but covertly to stifle democratic dissent. We are worried that the civic space is shrinking at an accelerated rate in the state, and the Police is highly complicit in this deteriorating trend.
“We call on the Nigeria Police to immediately release Odey Oyama and his 6 associates and cease all further hostile acts against their persons and legitimate campaigns. We shall go to all legitimate lengths to enforce the right of Odey Oyama and his associates to advocate peacefully without any let or hindrance.
In a separate statement, a human rights activist, Joseph Odok PhD Esq charged the State Governor, Senator Prince Bassey Otu to “act fast to ensure the unconditional release of Odey Oyama and six others”.
He said that “the arrest of Odey Oyama and others by a Chinese firm is a pressing concern that requires immediate attention from the Cross River State government. It’s contradictory that the state government has declared logging illegal, yet seems to be silent on this matter.
“The government must ensure the unconditional release of Odey Oyama and others, as their detention raises questions about the government’s stance on deforestation. It’s crucial for the government to address this issue, as it not only affects the environment but also the well-being of the local community”.
Odok stated that “the situation highlights the need for stronger environmental policies and legislation. In other countries, governments have implemented laws to protect the environment and hold polluters accountable. The Cross River State government can learn from these examples and take proactive steps to safeguard its forests and natural resources.
“Ultimately, the government must act swiftly to resolve this situation and demonstrate its commitment to environmental protection and the rights of its citizens. The forest cabal must not be made too powerful and destructive to destroy our forest”
