By Anietie Akpan, Calabar
The trial of an Environmental Activist, Comrade Odey Oyama, was Monday stalled as the Cross River State Police command failed to produce him in court
He was billed to appear at Magistrate Court 1 by noon along Moore road but by as at 4pm close of work,there was no sign of Oyama or the Police even though the court room was jam packed by many environmentalists from the civil society organizations (CSOs).
Commenting on why the accused was not presented in court by the police, the Police Public Relation Officer, SP Irene Ugbo said, it could be that the papers in connection with the matter were not ready but promised to check and confirm the actual situation.
Oyama was arrested in Ikom on January 14, 2025 and was earlier hurriedly arraigned in court on January 16, and was denied bail.
Odey, the Director of Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC) and six others who were arrested by Police officers from the Ikom division of the Cross River State Police Command have been in police custody since January 14.
It was gathered that he and others are being charged for promoting communal strife.
Recall that in recent times, 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.
Some CSOs have described the said charges against Oyama as phantom and however called for his immediate release, saying his arrest and detention by the Nigerian Police signifies a rising trend of abuse and repression.
