By Justice Nwafor
With placards thronged up in the air and faces decorated with angst, the members of Umudochi community, Umuoma Nekede in Owerri west Local Government Area, Imo State, protested the forceful takeover of their land by the State Government for a mega city project.
They accused the member representing Owerri West State constituency in Imo State House of Assembly, Hon. Onyewuchi Victor Ikonne of being the brain behind the affront, bemoaning that their cash crops and means of livelihood have been destroyed.
Crying out, Margaret Onyeukwu , one of the protesters, and physically challenged, lamented how her budding crops of less than six months old were destroyed.
“They destroyed our crops; the crops that would have sustained us for the coming year. They destroyed my cassava, maize, melon and many others. We are farmers and they have destroyed our crops and taken our farmland. What are we going to eat? How do they want us to survive?”, the widow queried, as tears gushed to her cheeks.
Addressing journalists, another member of the community, Prince Chidi Eke, described the takeover of their land as the height of insensitivity, and disregard for the people of the community, stating that the state government has no right to take over their land without negotiating with them.
“The State government came and took our land under the guise of building mega city without any form of negotiation with us or compensation”, he said.
Prince Eke, however, alleged that the agents of the government are meeting with “few disgruntled elements” who, according to him, do not represent the interest of the community.
He said the community is demanding that work on the controversial site stops immediately.
“If there is any project that was captured in the budget which this land would be used for, let the state government approach the community for adequate negotiation for us to agree on how to give them, depending on the project. You don’t tell us you’re building mega city. Mega city for who? he asked.
Responding to questions, Chief Sam Anokam described the action of the state government as an affront on the people.
He revealed that there had been a court injunction restraining the state government from carrying out further work at the site.
“The decision of the state government to continue working on the site not minding a court order on the matter is an affront on the people. That’s why you saw what the people did today. They’re tired. They want peace.”
Reacting to allegation that the community’s traditional ruler received 12 million Naira from the state government, Chief Anokam said he couldn’t speak for him but averred that the government now uses traditional rulers to achieve selfish ends, which, sometimes, run contrary to the wishes of their communities.
He further accused Hon Ikonne as “the architect of this thing”.
I may absorb the governor of all actions. But we want to blame Ikonne. He’s the architect; he wants to make sure he cedes the land of his people to the government so that he’d have a great churn”, he alleged.
The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as: “APC says go and farm but now they are destroying our crops and farmland. Mega city is a fraud”; “Stop destroying our crops and farmland, Ikonne”; “we don’t need mega city”; “Imo state government stop destroying our crops”.
Others include: “Imo mega city is a fraud, Owelle, Ikonne, Uju leave our crops alone”; “Government Says go back to farm, then why destroy our crops, Rochas?”.
