Anambra Police Wade In Following Allegation Of Land Grabbing Crisis Rocking Nimo Community
By Ovat Abeng
Anambra State Police Command says it will look into the communal crisis rocking Nimo community in Njikoka LGA, arising from land grabbing allegations against some prominent members of the community.
The State Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of Operation, DCP Ibrahim Ezekiel, disclosed this while addressing about 800 Nimo women who stormed the State Police Command Headquarters Amawbia, on Friday, in protest, seeking for Justice.
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as; “Soludo, Nimo needs your help, please, save us, “All manner of impunities most stop in Nimo”, “Igwe, PG and Nimo Royal cabinet have no respect for Nimo Constitution”, Igwe Maxi Ike Oliobi is bastardizing Nimo Culture and Traditions”, Nimo PG is incapacitated by the Igwe of Nimo, Nigeria Police Anambra Command please, give us Justice”, Save our souls, Governor Soludo”, among others.
However, the community seems to be currently divided over a land tussle the women claims to have been fraudulently taken over by the Traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Maxi Ike Oliobi, the President General of the town, Mr. Ekenenna Okafor-Omabor and some members of the Igwe’s cabinet.
The DCP thanked the women who appeared in black attires for conducting themselves in a peaceful manner, and assured that the Command under CP Adeoye Aderemi will waded into the crisis to resolved it once and for all.
He said, “We will wade into the land and other leadership crisis currently rocking the community to see how we can help resolved the unrest once and for all. Justice will take its curse. You will have your peace by the Grace of God. You will cry no more.
The Command will invite you and other faction for mediation in no distance time, he noted.
The women’s spokeslady, Mrs. Ebele Okochi, who spoke to Journalists shortly after summiting their protest letter to the Police authority, said they were at the Command Headquarters to seek protection from the Police as they could no longer sleep in their houses with their two eyes closed for fear of the unknown.
According to Mrs Okochi, the community is presently embroiled in crisis and the cause of the crisis are mult-tentacle, but stem largely from; administrative incompetence of the President General, Mr. Ekenenna Okafor-Omabor, sale of Nimo land by the PG and the Traditional ruler, Igwe Maxi Ike Iliobi, high-handedness and trampling on the fundamental rights of the town folks among several others.
“Our people are being arrested and torture on daily basis while in handcuffs.
“Vigilante operatives are used as a private army of the Igwe to harass, seize properties of individual. Our people are being arrested for the flimsiest excuses and handed over to the police where they they spend money to bail themselves.
“The Igwe purportedly negotiated with our neighbouring town of Eziowelle Community and ceded about 264 plots of land owned by individuals without their consent and knowledge. The Igwe did this because he believes that as the Igwe, he can take over people’s land and do whatever he pleases with it. This, in our view, is high-handedness and an abuse of trust by the Monarch.
“As a result of the illegal land transactions, the youths of Nimo Community whose families depend on these lands for their survival and sustenance are highly provoked. This has largely been the cause of the crisis in Nimo, which has not abated since January 2023.
“The crisis is getting worse because rather than retrace their steps and stop selling the lands, both the PG and Igwe have resorted to writing frivolous petitions against those who opposed sales of the land. They frame people as kidnappers, cultists, arsonists, confusionist, etc.
“We no longer go to the farm because all boundary lands have been sold off. The little farm lands we are farming, the Igwe and his faction has forcefully collected it from us again. We are no longer allowed to go to our farms. This year, we did not get corn, cassava, palm oil because he has seized all the community lands to himself. That man (Igwe) has sold more than 200 plots lands at the cost of N3.1 million each.
“In the past four months, we have joined the growing number of those campaigning about the sales of the land by the Monarch and the President General.
“To further consolidate their sales of the land, the PG issued a written public notice to the effect that people are not allowed to go to their farms. The directive, which seeks to stop farming activities is a breach of people fundamental rights. Sir, if we continue to tell you what has been happening in Nimo in the past three years, you will think that we are telling fairy stories from some strange story books, yet the atrocities and impunities by the leadership of Nimo doesn’t seems to get better as the days go by.
“No individual had the right and power to claim ownership of such asset because he is the Traditional ruler of the town.
“We want the Police to stop coming to Nimo to arrest our innocent people. Let us have peace in Nimo.
“It is for the above reasons, among several others, that we plead that you use your good offices to wade in and stop the Igwe of Nimo, HRH Maxi Ike Oliobi, the PG, Mr. Ekenenna Okafor-Omabor, from further throwing Nimo Community into avoidable crisis”, the spokelady concluded.
0
0
