By Princely Onyenwe, Imo
Land Owners of the Ancestral land belonging to Nekede, Ihiagwa, Obinze, Avu and part of Eziobodo Community have called on Chief Anokam and Federal University of Technology FUTO Owerri to speak the truth as it concerns FUTO host Community land which has been in contest till date.
To state the facts therefore, the sole attorney to the community, Chief Surveyor Anokam said he is now ready to call a press conference where he can be able to present his facts more clearly to douse lingering tension on the FUTO host Community land crises in Owerri.
Recall that Land Owners have in several publications accused Attorney Anokam And FUTO Of Making Business With Their Ancestral Land but the surveyor has maintained that all the allegations are lies as he is ready to shock the public with actual facts of the land.
The overzealous attitude on the alleged encroached portion of land belonging to FUTO host communities in Owerri West local government area of Imo state Nigeria has caused alot of troubles in the area.
On this therefore land owners comprising of Youths, Women and Sympathizers are calling on Government to apply Immediate Justice and give back the land to the actual Communities.
Recall that some few weeks ago Women numbering hundreds came out en masse and pointed accused fingers on FUTO and Surveyor Chief Anokam for trading with their remaining ancestral land and keeping the entire Community on suspense.
The women comprising of Nekede, Ihiagwa, Eziobodo and Obinze Communities stagged a Peaceful protest to attract the attention of the Vice Chancellor of Federal University of Technology FUTO , Proffessor Nnenna Oti who they alleged is working hand in globe with Imo state government to trick them of the only remaining ancestral land.
According to their spokesperson, the women lamented the continued crises this have caused while calling on Government to remove their hands in the deal and caution FUTO to go off from their lands.
FUTO has claimed to have allotted the land for school of medicine having some other parts of he land or Residential purposes.
Recall that the land was sometime Scheduled for an estate by the former governor Okorocha and when Ihedioha assumed office he could not agree to such an abrupt allocation process.
Governor Uzodinma can help the landlords to retrieve their land but regrettably some agents of government have joined the FUTO management to steal the land, the women cried out.
Meanwhile, this land is the only remaining ancestral land for Nekede, Ihiagwa, Eziobodo and Obinze communities and the alleged land grabbers have resorted to stealing the land on false pretense for unapproved development.
The women regretted the encroachment by Army barracks and New Owerri having eaten deep into their land while FUTO has also come in another false dimension to take the remaining portion from them.
They however warned the grabbers to desist FORTHWITH otherwise the looming war will break out between the host Communities and whosoever that venture the acquisition of the land pending the judgement of the competent court.
At the time of this report our correspodent sighted a continued fence work going on along the Owerri Port-Harcourt road axis of the same ancestral land belonging to Nekede, Ihiagwa, Eziobodo and Obinze Communities.
A call in the right direction is to settle this matter once and final to allow peace reign in the area.The women have have invoked the gods of the land to kill whosoever that is involved in the transactions to rub the communities their birth right.
“FUTO has a versed portion of empty land in the school environment and wondered why they are scrabbling to steal communities land with the rapid facilitation from criminal elements and insensitive attorneys in the area.
“We therefore charge FUTO and their agents to go elsewhere where there are versed land and build their mansions and leave Nekede, Ihiagwa, Eziobodo, Obinze land alone, for this portion of land is the last land the community have where their children will lay hand on,the women warned.
The continued grabbing of Imo lands by unauthorized DEVELOPERS and suspected AGENTS of government is on the increase in the state after series of warning by GOVERNOR Hope Uzodinma on illegal and forceful Acquisition of people’s land.
Having the affected area of land in the center of the state capital, it will be unacceptable of any agent, attorney or groups of agents and their cohorts to rub Communities of their land in the name of Developmental projects and building of schools and estates.
In our findings, our correspodent noted that the landlords have alleged that some estate developers and government agents are posing as Attorneys of host communities after signing documents with some traditional rulers and Community leaders in the area to request for release papers on an area of land that is still intact.
How can a land that is intact and virgin, the only ancestral land belonging to Nekede, Ihiagwa Obinze and some part of Eziobodo be tempered by Fake land agents and suspected disgruntled elements who are requesting for release papers? Host community asked.
At the time of this report all calls put across the management of FUTO proved abortive while Surveyor Anokam said he was in Abuja for his private business pending when FUTO will be ready to speak the truth.
In addition, he claimed that there is no other authorized attorney handling the land in trouble than himself and charged any attorney claiming approval from the land owners to present their approval letters given by the community land owners.
The entire matter is actually conflicting while the owners of the ancestral land suffer in pains. The proposed media conference with the land owners as Proposed will no doubt state the facts and settle the matter in contest as expected.
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