Umuejechi Nekede community, Owerri West local government area of Imo State, have cried out over what they described as “the growing degree of intimidation, harassment and illegal detention of our people, by supposed agents of the state government, in collaboration with the police”.
The Chairman of Umuejechi Central Assembly, UCA, Sir Sam Achogbuo, who raised the alarm while addressing the Press in Owerri, yesterday, also lamented that “these ugly things are happening to us, despite the subsisting Court of Appeal judgment in our favour, over our ancestral land.”
His words: “We are extremely pained that just last weekend, five of our people were arrested by the police, on trumped up charges and dumped in the Tiger Base cell, on the instigation of the agents of the state government.
“The innocent citizens, who were arrested by the police, included Lewis Odu, Ike Nkwazema, Victor Nkwazema, Chigozie Nkwazema and Chinagorom Anukam.”
According to Sir Achogbuo, the land in is the former Agriculture Development Corporation, ADC. Imo State High Court, in it’s judgment, affirmed that the land belongs to Umuejechi, Nekede community.
He said: “The judgement of the High of Imo State, was affirmed by the Court of Appeal, Owerri Division. Although the Government of Imo State has appealed against the judgement of the Court of Appeal, it is a well known legal tradition that the judgment subsists until it is set aside by a higher court.
“The community was alarmed that in spite of this legal position on the land, the Government of Imo State, through the Commissioner for Lands, Mr. Noble Abianso Atulegwu, threw caution to the winds and brazenly went into the land and commenced the clearing of the huge forest.
“They started the clearing on June 5, 2023, in spite of our protestations. We went to the land physically to protest and also made our position known to the government and the entire world through the print, broadcast and the social media.
“We even visited some top government officials, including the Commissioner for Lands and reminded them of the legal status of the land and that whatever they are doing on the land is illegal and will not stand.
“Sadly, the government has remained recalcitrant and obdurate and is hell bent on continuing its illegality on the land. On Monday, July 17, 2023, the Umuejechi community woke up to see thousands of cement blocks being assembled all over the vast land by the agents of the government, preparatory to fencing the land which legally belongs to the community.
“Some of our youths went to the land in that Monday and peacefully told the contractors and other workers on the land not to commence the erection of the fence because the land does not belong to the government.
“On Thursday, July 20, 2023, the youths went again to the land and also warned the artisans on ground that on no account should they commence the fencing of the land. There were no skirmishes of any kind and nothing was destroyed.
“After the outing on Thursday, the youths dispersed. A few minutes later, the police, in a show of force, drove into Umuejechi in four patrol vans and an armoured personnel carrier, moved around the village.
“On Friday, July 21, 2023, the elders and leaders of the community, accompanied by the youths went to the land to see things for themselves. There was nobody in the place, when they got there. The entire place was calm, but the blocks and trips of sand that earlier deposited, were there.
“The villagers were however, confronted by a band of Ebubeagu personnel, who shot into the air to scare them, but the people ignored them and went round the piece of land and quietly returned to the village.
“There was no destruction and no member of the armed Ebubeagu team was molested in any way. About 30 minutes after the people returned home, and while people stood in clusters, discussing the matter, the police came again, this time with two armoured personnel carriers and about 4 Hilux vans.
“As they got to where the people were standing and discussing, the police jumped down from their vans and started shooting into the air and firing tear gas cannisters.
“Everybody ran for their safety. A few who had courage, knowing that they committed no offence, stood their grounds but raised their hands in a gesture of submission.
“The police rounded up five youths and took them away. After they took the five away, the police returned and stationed their armoured personnel carriers at No. 4 Bus Stop, Nekede, while their men, who were armed to the teeth, patrolled the entire village, in a show of force and intimidation. They remained there and patrolled the area until about 7pm when they left.”
