In a letter seen by The PUNCH in Owerri, the state capital, written and signed by their counsel, Ugochukwu Okoro, the community said the government disregarded a court order that had declared them the rightful owners of the said land and restrained further encroachment by the state government.
They insisted that no amount of intimidation, assault, or harassment would make them concede the land to the state government “unless and until judgement granting them ownership and possession of the land is upturned.”
They also flayed the use of armed security personnel by the state government to assault and harass their people and urged the Inspector General of Police, IGP Muhammed Alkali Baba Usman, to investigate the matter and call his men to order to forestall a breach of peace, law and order in the community.
The letter partly read, “Our clients have been having a running battle with the Government of Imo State over their ancestral land in the former Agriculture Development Corporation, Nekede, leased to the Government of the then Eastern Region in 1956 but inherited by the Imo State Government.
“Our clients sued the Government of Imo State in SUIT NO. HOW/603/2018; DR. ETOFOLAM OSUJI & 3 ORS V. GOVERNOR OF IMO STATE & 2 ORS in a claim for a declaration of title over the land.
“By a judgement delivered on 27/5/2019, the Honourable Trial Court declared our clients the owners of the land and restrained the Government of Imo State from disturbing our clients in their possession and ownership of the land.
“Dissatisfied with the judgement of the court and the consent judgement, the government appealed against same to the Court of Appeal in Suit NO. CA/Ow/222m/2020; GOVERNOR of IMO STATE & ORS V. Dr. ETOFOLAM OSUJI & 3 ORS. On 17/2/2023 the Court of Appeal dismissed the Appeal of the government and affirmed the judgement of the High Court, declaring our clients the owners of the land.
“Dissatisfied again, the government of Imo State filed an appeal at the Supreme Court, which appeal has not even been entered, much less heard.
“The above represents the present legal status of the land, but to the chagrin of our clients, the Government of Imo State, through the Commissioner for Lands, broke and entered into the land with brute force and commenced the clearing of the land, removing all the structures and economic trees on the land without the consent or approval of our clients, the owners of the land.
“Our clients protested the mindless usurpation of their right to ownership and possession of their land, and the Government of Imo State deployed over 100 well-armed policemen, hooded and wearing masks, who came and beat up our clients and chased our clients away from the land threatening to shoot anyone they see on the land.”
When contacted on behalf of the state government, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communications, Collins Ughalaa, promised to respond, but until the time of filing this report, no response was received from him.
