•Nwakanma: Governor Has No Interest On People’s Land
Natives of Umumba in Obioma Community, of Ngor Okpala Local Government Area, Imo State, have beckoned on the State Governor, Senator Hope Uzodimma to intervene over what they described as brazen robbery of their community lands.
The land according to them is over six thousand plots (6,000) belonging to Uhu/Udi and Okwu/Umumba people of Obioma autonomous community.
Protesting on Monday, August 12, 2024, at the Government House, Owerri, the Imo State House of Assembly complex, and the office of the SA on land recovery along Okigwe road, Owerri, respectively, the protesters displayed their stiff resistance to the alleged land grabbing by Mr. Stanley Morocco.
Their placards reads, “Sack Enyinna Onuegbu now to save our community;
Arrest Stanley Morocco now for forgery and impersonation on the government;
Our land has no contention, arrest individuals parading fake documents”.
The spokespersons, Evangelist Chikadibia Anyanwu and Mr.
Paul Anele in their individual assertions complained that earlier in March 2024, Stanley Morocco approached them and demanded for over 6,000 plots of their family lands citing the State government as being in need of it for farming site.
Adding that, when the community requested for backup documents, Morocco purportedly flopped and never showed up till date, rather, he resorted to blackmail and allegedly using foreign faces to pose as natives.
“Specifically, Mr. Morocco and Barr. Onuegbu filed a baseless petition accusing our community representative, Mr. Anyanwu Chikadibia, of armed robbery. This unfounded accusation led to Mr. Chikadibia’s illegal arrest and subsequent six- month incarceration, despite the fact that he was later found innocent and discharged by the court.
“During Mr. Chikadibia’s unlawful detention, Mr. Morocco, allegedly acting under the instructions of Barr. Onuegbu, deceitfully obtained a forged court judgment against our families. This judgment was rendered without any official summons, cross-examination, or proper adjudication, with the court record falsely stating that both parties were absent. We are left to question on what basis this judgment was made.
“Given these grave concerns, we respectfully seek confirmation from your esteemed office as to whether the government is indeed behind this attempted land acquisition. We further request a thorough investigation into this matter and urge that Barr. Enyinnaya Onuegbu and Mr. Stanley Morocco cease their illegal activities in our community.
“We place our trust in your leadership and hope that justice will prevail for the people of Umumba community”, the document signed by Nze Smart Akujuobi, Mr. Lawrence Ekeocha, and Mr. Chikadibia Anyanwu.
The letter was copied to the following; The Commissioner of Police, Imo State; The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Imo State; The Special Adviser to the Governor on Land Recovery, Imo State; The Speaker, Imo State House of Assembly; The Traditional Ruler, Umumba Obioma Autonomous Community; The Chairman, Umumba Community Development Union.
They further alleged that Barr Enyinna Onuegbu connived with Morocco to defraud them of their plots of land using government name, whereas nothing of such exists with the knowledge of the governor.
“Onuegbu is from Eziama, While Morocco is from Ameke Ngor. Both of them are collaborators, and with over 5KM distance to Obioma autonomous community. We have no boundary with any of them. Yet they want to dispossess us of our land”.
The people also disclosed that the collected plots in contention have been cleared and fenced with a signpost bearing an inscription, “Dubai estate” which was in total abstract to what Morocco and his cohorts claimed it was meant to be.
They advocated that government should intervene as unknown faces are sighted in their locality threatening them with the aid of security operatives.
Addressing the protesters, the Special Adviser on land recovery, Prince Paschal Nwakanma, confirmed that he has been on investigation over the matter.
He reiterated that Uzodimma has no interest on people’s lands, a practice he said could be widely ascertained as he has no single in Imo State.
Hon Nwakanma opined that justice is his watchword. “I don’t care to know the caliber of men involved, what I say is NO to land grabbing, people should freely give their lands, not by coercion”.
However, he tasked them to go home peacefully and remain calm as their message will be duly delivered to the Government and feedback delivered in due time.
