By Princely Onyenwe, Imo
The President Generals PGs of Ochie Clan in Owerri West local government area of Imo state have decried high rise of criminality, drug abuse and insecurity of lives and properties in their Area.
This call was made by the president generals of Ochie Clan comprising of Umuoma, Nekede ancient kingdom, Umudibia, Dindi Ihiagwa, Okolochi, Emeabiam and Eziokele Communities on a tactical meeting held with the community leaders, youth leaders, the vigilante groups, law enforcement agents and stakeholders of the area.
Speaking at the meeting, Chief Ndubuisi Okata Iheaka, PG Emeabiam community and the Chairman of all the PGs in Owerri West, noted with dismay, the high rate of drug abuse by the youths of the area. The most recent is the Popular “ice- mkpuru mmiri” which he said has done more harm than good and therefore call for immediate stop of such criminality and use of hard drugs.
Chief Okata added that such abuse of hard drugs can endanger the health of the youths and affect the mental reasoning of the users which will definitely cause a lot of damages to the society.
The host president general, PG UCHE NWANERI of Umuoma Nekede Autonomous community pointed out the immediate need to curb crime and check the menace of illicit drugs and insecurity in Ochie Owerri West.
PG NWANERI x-rayed the dangers of insecurity within the communities of Ochie and proffered a possible solution to set up a joint security intelligence outfit within the area to stern down the menace.
Chief Ohakwe the PG representing Dindi Ihiagwa further reaffirmed the resolve of the PGs in the area to abolish Drug abuse particularly the dangerous mkpuru mmiri, Guzoro, Marijuana and others.
PG Amanze Ugorji of Nekede ancient kingdom added that Ochie Communities are calm and their citizens are law-abiding. He however blamed the law enforcement agents of the Government for not prosecuting offenders and warned the youths to desist from all forms of criminality.
PG Iheagwam Ugochukwu of Eziokele Community and others who added their voices condemned in totality forms of Criminality in the area. They also charged the security agents and the police to be more effective in their duties as the community is ready to partner with law enforcement agents to combat these menace head-on.
Our correspondent who covered the security meeting reports that the turn-up of invitees was encouraging because it was Strictly on invitation hence security matters are not most times discussed in the open.
The Ochie people agreed on the resolutions of the meeting while promising to do their best to curb crime, abolish Drug abuse, set up a joint intelligence-gathering to beef up security and to remain law-abiding.
While speaking on the sorry situation of the most major road in Owerri West, the Nekede Fedponek/ Ihiagwa FUTO/ Obinze road, Chief Okata expressed bitterness on the bad condition of the road and requested that the government should be communicated FORTHWITH through a committee set up by Ochie people to speed up the road project to help the people of the area who have suffered untold hardship caused by the non-completion of the road.
In reaction, Chief Omenma Ernest Onyeneke, presented the recent encroachment to the Ochie land along Owerri Portharcourt road belonging to Umudoche, De-Na-Agwu, Umuogba Umuoma Nekede and Ihiagwa Communities by FUTO and alleged unknown agents of Government who has continued fencing their land forcefully to remove their hand from their ancestral land pending the judgement of the court of competent jurisdiction, since the landowners have resorted to court.
In generality, Ochie people lamented bitterly against the encroachment to their only remaining ancestral land by FUTO and the so-called government agents who jumped into people land without due compensation and endorsement of the MOU designed by the federal ministry of lands.
Our correspondent authoritatively reports that Ochie is the host Community to FUTO and FEDPONEK but the benefits expected from these institutions are being diverted to unknown destinations and individuals thereby starving the generality of the people of the host communities of their accrued rights.
Having recorded the meeting proceedings accordingly, the people of Ochie resolved to apprehend and hand over to police the parents of any suspected criminal indigene or cultist or drug addicts who are found wanting while seminars with the anti-graft agents, EFCC, NDLEA, DSS and the vigilante groups are ripe to sustain this tempo to improve Ochie land.
The citizens must be law-abiding for development to flourish while looking unto Imo state government to do the needful to establish good Governance and provide basic amenities to the people.
The community welfare Chairman and Youth leaders were charged with this responsibility to preach the gospel to their respective villages and towns to notify their People of the latest development set in place by the president generals of Ochie in partnership with the relevant agencies and the media to curb crime, drug abuse, cultism, insecurity in the land.
Photo credit: 9News Nigeria Owerri.
9News Nigeria (Owerri)
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