Owerri Community Protest Government Forceful TakeOver of Land

Thousands of Owerri indigenes from Amawom Community in Owerri municipality went on protest in Owerri, the Imo State capital  lamenting over Imo State Government forceful takeover of their land.

The protest which began in the morning of Friday (30^th May) was carried out by men, women and youths all decked in black cloth. They marched to the Owerri municipality council headquarters where they were received by the Sole Administrator of the municipality, Paschal Ujah.

Ujah sympathasized with the protesters but requested that they should put down their grievances on paper for onward transmission to the Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

From the Council headquarters, they marched along major streets of Owerri before heading to Government House, Owerri

On arrival at the seat of government, no government official addressed them.  The State Governor and his convoy who were returning from a trip made a detour on sighting the demonstrators at the entrance gate .

Speaking to journalists, leader of the aggrieved Amawom people, Hon Macdonald Ebere, said they are calling on the Okorocha Administration to leave the parcel of  land belonging to Amawom people alone especially the ones at Ekwema layout. He said his community has made enormous sacrifice to aid development of the city by availing their lands for developmental projects.  

He said their land at Area k and Ekwema layout are the only plots of land left for his people, urging the State government to leave such lands for their children yet unborn.  He stated that for decades, the people of Amawom have been living in deplorable conditions in their present location in the heart of Owerri

He also dispelled claims that the State Government has compensated the people of the community, saying the compensation for such lands allegedly paid to one Justin Emeyeonu does not reflect the collective intentions of his people. He said Emeyeonu acted on his own and not on behalf of the people of his community who have made it clear that they do not want compensation for their land at Ekwema layout.

It will be recalled that the people of Amawom community had resisted attempts by the Imo State Government to take over Area k landmass, along World Bank Housing Estate belonging to the people of Amawom.