A group under the auspices of the Nigerian Feminist Forum (NFF) has demanded compensation from the state government for continuous demolition of personal houses, malls and shops without due process and compensation, after collecting levies, taxes, and instituting compulsory payments.
The group said the conflicting government policies had rendered many people homeless and without a steady source of livelihood, even as some have taken to crime and criminality.
The NFF Focal Person, Ms Chinonso Okechukwu stated this on Monday in a communique shortly after a one-day town hall meeting with zonal stakeholders and the ministry of gender and vulnerable groups in Owerri.
The women group also gave an insight into the dangers of rising insecurity and extra-judicial killings in the state and advocated for sustained efforts to check the trend.
The group further observed that Imo State and the southeast have come under heavy attacks and insurgency since the outbreak of covid-19 and invasion of the Owerri Correctional Centre.
They expressed the need for the signing of the VAPP bill to protect people and provide a legal instrument for the prosecution of peace breaches. Human rights violations, teenage pregnancy, rape, gender-based violence, are high during conflict periods.
Speaking earlier Blessing Azubuike, Director of Gender in the Ministry of Women Affairs and Vulnerable Groups, advocated for women involved in peace and security processes, and the measures that can create spaces for women in peacebuilding.
She noted every country is expected to develop a national action plan towards the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 while states are obliged to further develop a State Action Plan (SAP) aimed at localising UNSCR 1325.
According to the feminist group, the move was necessitated by the reports that hundreds of artisans and merchants at Perry Nwanguma, round 40-40 Junction, Control l and new Owerri, the Imo State capital on Monday watched helplessly on, as officers of the Owerri Capital Improvement Authority (OCDA) demolished many retailers and enterprise centres within the area.
