The people of Umuocha Avu in Owerri -West LGA , Imo State are calling on the state Governor, Distinguished Senator Hope Uzodinma to urgently come to their aid and stop land Grabbers from forcefully taking over their ancestry land.
The Chairman, Umuocha Avu family meeting,Mr Godwin Oparamba made the appeal in an SOS to the Imo chief executive said it was in recognition of Governor Uzodinma’s resolve to recover peoples land and stop land racketeering in the state that necessitated their cry to him for executive assistance.
He said on Thursday, December 18, land grabbers stormed with Caterpillar and some armed soldiers, mobile policemen and started brushing their land located at Ngbabo Umuezenwara to Nwauhie,off Port Harcourt road Owerri.
He said they destroyed fenced property and other structures there.
Mr Oparamba said when Youths of Umuocha Avu arrived the scene, the soldiers removed their shirts to avoid getting their names and numbers so that if they want to make a formal report to the military authorities,it would be difficult.
According to him, that action suggested that they were on illegal duty, and merely dropping the name of the Governor, Ministry of land and the Imo Housing Corporation Owerri.
Mr Oparamba said that this is the third time they are coming to take over over ancestral land forcefully.
He said the first time was on Saturday January 28,2023 when they with some hoodlums and armed policemen, and the second was on Saturday may19,2024.
The Elder statesman said the land in question is the ancestral land of Umuocha Avu which the community had parcellated many years ago waiting for government to provide Utilities for them to start moving in to the land.
Mr Oparamba maintained that there was no interaction with Umuocha people, the land owners, which some people who claimed to be Government agents entered forcefully to grab.
Another elder of Umuocha community,Mr C.C Maduike said land scammers who drop the name of the Governor and the land authorities in the state and using armed soldiers and policemen as intimidating forces should stop.
He said Umuocha community is peaceful and do not want unscrupulous people to breach the peace as the land in question is where their children will live.
Mr Maduike re-iterated the appeal to Governor Uzodinma to urgently intervene and stop the land grabbers and their agents from coming to Umuocha Avu land again.
