…Aggrieved CATU members bring leaders before Obong of Calabar
…Allegations are unjustifiable —Bank of Agriculture
…My hands are clean—Mr. Celestine Offorma, CATU chairman

By Ike Uchechukwu

CALABAR—THE  crisis rocking the Capital Traders Umbrella Association, CATU, Watt Market, Calabar, Cross River State, over a purported diversion of N50 million small-scale loans obtained from the Federal Government through the Bank of Agriculture, BOA, in 2012, has taken a new dimension, as aggrieved members have dragged their leaders before the Obong of Calabar.

Bank of Agriculture

Twenty-five aggrieved members in a petition addressed to the royal father, entitled, “A case of fraud, threat to life, abuse of office and administrative high handedness perpetuated by Mr. Offorma and his cohorts,” alleged that the executive, headed by the acting chairman, Mr. Celestine Offorma , Jackson Okon Akpan, Godwin Mendie and Donatus Okoro and others  were engaged in sharp practices.

Mr. Offorma, who spoke to Niger Delta Voice, denied the allegations against him and other executive members, saying they were tissues of lies. A BOA official also said the petitioners concocted the charges against their leader, as there was no fraud.

Fetish substance

Both the petitioners and accused persons have appeared before the Obong of Calabar Arbitration Panel, but on Monday, July 4, unknown persons allegedly poured suspected fetish substance at the shops of some CATU executive members. Offorma, who confirmed the development, said: “We  refused to attend last week because of the act that was allegedly carried out by some  Efik women, who came to the shops of the four accused members to pour substance and leaf on Monday (July 4). We have reported the incident to the panel, and we will be attending  the panel this coming week.”

Our grouse —Petitioners

The angry traders claimed that in the year 2012, the Federal Government released the sum of N50 million as small and medium scale loans for disbursement to members through CATU to enhance their businesses.  “The money has not been accounted for till date. In view of this, more than 3,000 traders have been compelled to pay the sum of N5,000    each as a bribe before obtaining the loan for onward remittance to the Agric bank, through CATU executives,” they said.

They stated that contrary to the association’s standing rules, which forbid any member from arresting the other in case of dispute, but to use the market’s disciplinary committee, Offorma   contravened it    by   using police   to arrest and detain one Mr. Kalu, a night watchman for allegedly stealing his money to the tune of N1,800, 000. Besides, the traders said Offorma had perfected plans to tinker with the constitution of the association to actualize his plan of perpetuating himself in office even after his team has served for 12 years running without conducting election. Consequently, they urged the monarch to use his good office to dispense justice. Following the petition, the Enlarged Obong of Calabar Arbitration Panel wrote Oforma summoning him to appear before the panel in the Palace of the Obong of Calabar.

CATU only acted as guarantor —Eyo

CATU’s solicitor, Emmanuel B. Eyo , in a rejoinder, said criminal issues, which the panel could not arbitrate upon, especially fraud and threat to life, were raised in the petition. “Our instruction is that the petitioners should do the needful by forwarding these issues to the police for proper investigation and prosecution. Information reaching us is that out of the 25 petitioners, only seven are members of the client’s association .Also our clients challenged the’ locus standi’ of the remaining petitioners   to bring up a petition against them,” he said.

“On the issue of loan, it is our instruction to state that that loan was granted to bonafide members of the association and that it was a sensitive issue which the Arbitration panel cannot act upon because all documents of the said loans were with the banks. And that CATU only acted as guarantors to the beneficiaries, a role it, (CATU) has duly discharged, maintaining that the accused were never in possession of any loan documents since all documentations were done in the banks,” he added.

Speaking with Niger Delta Voice, Offorma said: “As a matter of fact, we have submitted necessary documents to the panel to aid them adjudicate and we are ready to work with them to settle this matter amicably. We are a peace- loving organization of highly placed intellectuals even though we are businessmen/women, we are law-abiding citizens and we respect and honour the traditional stool in the land, and we are not in any way opposing the Obong of Calabar.”

Allegations are baseless – BOA officials

Findings by Niger Delta Voice at the state office of the Bank of Agriculture showed that the allegation of embezzling N50 million against Offorma and his executive was untrue, as neither he nor any of his executive members handled or disbursed any fund or loan to the beneficiaries, as claimed by the petitioners. Branch Manager, BOI, Mr. Takim Takim and Head of loans, Mr. Ovai Dickson said that to the best of their knowledge, the accused never saw a dime of the loan, but only acted as first guarantor. According to them, the bank directed beneficiaries to open account with it and having duly satisfied all loan requirements, it paid approved sums into each beneficiary’s account.

Loan N19m, not  N50m

In a document sighted by Niger Delta Voice, the amount approved and disbursed to about 141 traders (CATU members) stood at N19.6million as against the N50 million claimed by the petitioners. The bank manager insisted that the allegations were figment of their imaginations and unfounded. “The accusations and allegations are simply baseless and unfounded, there is no such thing because at that time, their initial proposal was N200 million, but at the end, what they got was about 19 million, which was paid into their individual accounts and not CATU. CATU is only involved when the loans are not repaid after the stipulated time by helping us appeal to them,” they submitted.