The people of Umuakali Naze, in Owerri North Local
Government Area of Imo State, have cried out to the state governor, Owelle
Rochas Okorocha over alleged encroachment on their ancestral land and abuse of
their fundamental human rights by people who claim to be agents of the
government.
The community through the group Ezumezu Naze, fingered the
member representing them in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Chukwuemeka Lloyd
Obuh via newspaper publications on May 11, 2016 [via Nigeria Newspoint, Nigeria
Newsbreak, White-Paper and Announce Express Newspapers] condemned what they
termed ‘sudden and callous’ invasion of their ancestral land.
Through their spokesperson, Mr. Okechukwu Ajoku, the
Ezumezu Naze said the lawmaker, Hon. Chukwuemeka Lloyd ordered people to
bulldoze into the Nkporo Ancestral land which is the only remaining land the
government has reserved for them.
They listed Otamiri South Layout, Otamiri South Extension
Layout, Otamiri South Extension Annex, Naze Residential Layout, Naze Road North
Industrial Layout, Naze Industrial Cluster, Naze Imo Modem Market, Naze Timber
and Allied Regional Market, Naze Timber and Allied Regional Market Phase II and
Naze Timber and Allied Regional Market Residential Layout as part of their land
contribution towards the development of Imo State and wondered why government
would be encroaching in the only portion that is left for them. It was alleged
that those bbulldozing the land are agents of the government.
They people wondered why whosoever that had interest in
the land never come until they had cleared the place with others erecting dwarf
fences which were bulldozed by the agents of the lawmaker whom according to
them are only working to acquire the land for themselves. They said they had performed
necessary rituals to move the shrines and deities that have been occupying that
area and just when the land had been confirmed safe for people to live in,
someone appeared from nowhere to claim ownership of the land.
They fingered their kinsman, Chibo Mezu whom they alleged
to have been guarded by the Police men at the site during the bulldozing,
wondering why someone who is not an agent of the government should be getting
such treatment if not that he is collaborating with Hon. Chukwuemeka Lloyd.
They wondered how a reasonable person would be encouraging the government to
take what rightfully belongs to him if not that they are doing it for
themselves.
They also said that their initial resistance, saw three
of their members arrested and detained for three days by men of the Nigeria
Police after which the case was charged to court where the magistrate granted
them bail and set the next hearing for June 6, 2016.
According to one of those arrested, who is Mr. Regis
Akagha, a popular music producer based in Imo State, they were arrested by
weekend and kept in the cell till Monday. He said that till date, they do not
know who arrested them and who took them to court and while they were alleging
that the case was being pushed forward by the Permanent Secretary of Imo State
Ministry of Lands and Urban Development, Mr, Regis Akagha said that there
wasn’t a single government agent in the court when the Judge granted them bail.
He also revealed that so far, the Ministry of Lands had
never said anything as it regards to the land dispute and if the said ancestral
land had actually been acquired by the state government, they would have seen
the real government agents, rather than the faceless miscreants who are being
sponsored by one of their own.
They called on the state government through the relevant
authorities to intervene when the dispute had not escalated as they would do
anything possible to protect the land their ancestors had handed over to them.
According to the newspaper publications, Hon. Chukwuemaka
Lloyd denied involvement in the matter, saying: “I am a legislator and does not
belong to the executive arm of the government, I couldn’t have acquired or invaded
any land as it is not part of my legislative duty”
Meanwhile another group Izu Umunaze in the community
through a publication on Nigerian Horn Newspaper, May 13-15 Edition, said the
lawmaker had nothing to do with the land dispute, adding that the case belong
to the Forestry department of the Ministry of Environment.
In the same publication, the group who cleared the
lawmaker of wrong doings alleged by the Ezumezu Naze, admitted that the land
belonged to the entire community and not the government.
“As a matter of fact, the said land in question is a
communal land which position cannot be decided by these people [Ezumezu Naze]” they
were quoted on the publication.
The Ezumezu Naze then asked why members of the community
and others like Chibo Mezu and Iyke Okeigboanananwa who are not agents of the
government will be guarded by the police while their land and properties worth
millions of Naira were being bulldozed and while their lawmaker Hon Chukwuemeka
Lloyd who was supposed to be the voice of the people have not spoken against
the act.
They called on him to speak out on the matter and condemn
it in words and action if he really has nothing to do with it. They then called
on the state Ministry of Lands and all agents of the government involved, to
act in time, before the case would escalate to another level.
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