By CHARLES IWUOHA

Worried by the massive acquisition of their ancestral farm land measuring approximately 200 hectares by the Imo State government, the people of Ugakwoche in Egbule Obube community in Owerri North Local Government have carried a peaceful protest demanding that the government should stop the move to acquire their remaining farm land.

Members of the community that made up of adults, youths, old and young mothers, and fathers on Wednesday matched from their village square to the over two kilometres of the affected farm land that burst to the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport major road adorning black attires and wielding different placards crying and rolling on the ground to register their pain.

Some of the placards bored inscriptions such as: "all the land belonging to Ugakwoche is gone, No! to land grabbers, Your Excellency, please come to our rescue, our people are under siege, our ancestral farm land is gone, our children's future are in danger, we don't have another land to farm, do not bring criminality to our place because of no land for our youths to farm..."

However, in a swift reaction, the State Commissioner for Lands and Survey, Barr. Enyinna Onuegbu dismissed the claims of the community and said the government acquired the said land long ago for development, adding that there was no fresh acquisition of land by the Imo State Government at that location.

Speaking for the Ugakwoche village, its chairman, Pastor Cletus Opara lamented that there was no formal discussion or memorandum of understanding between government and the community to acquire their remaining farm land, insisting that the recent entering into their land on Good Friday last month was an aberration and an affront to confront the people of the area who are known for peace ab initio.

He said ""We are here on a peaceful demonstration to register our anger over government action by using her agents to enter our remaining ancestral farm land and start bulldozing it without prior information to the community or any memorandum of understanding entered into.

"They had earlier acquired 100 hectares of our land for Nigerian Air Force Base and because that was for the public interest we allowed them, but right now coming back to acquire the remaining farm land we have without negotiation or due process means they want to kill us.

"We were surprised because they never contacted us. This is not how to take people's land by force. We are calling on Governor Hope Uzodimma to please come and rescue us. Our children don't have any future. If the government doesn't come to our rescue, maybe they are creating room for criminality and kidnapping to occur in our area."

Another community leader, Hon. Kelechi Opara fumed over the action by the government and accused them of a deliberate plan to make them to be refugees in their own land, adding that their people are predominantly peasant farmers and if their only source of livelihood is taken away, they would die.

According to him, the land in question was originally in 2017 entered by former governor Rochas Okorocha when he acquired 200 hectares of land and donated 100 hectares to the Nigerian Air Force for their Base in the State. But the remaining part of the land was returned to us by the panel of enquiry set up by Okorocha's successor, Governor Emeka Ihedioha.

The Whitepaper/Gazette of 2020 directed the State Government through the Ministry of Lands to recover the 100 hectares purportedly given to third parties without due process and return same to the communities that owned the land.

"To our greatest surprise, the same Imo state government is here again, without any notice, to take our entire remaining land to the extent of where we're living. We appeal to the Governor who listens to his people to save us from this method of annihilation of a people," he said.

Reacting, Onuegbu stated that it was not a fresh acquisition, rather part of the land the government had already acquired long ago for developmental purposes.

He said: "It is the recovery and clearing of the said 100 hectares that is presently ongoing, not a new acquisition, less the areas given as compensatory to the native landowners. I am aware of the physical protests and I advised them through their traditional Ruler, Eze Jude Nworgu, to write formally to His Excellency for his discretion under the Land Use Act.

"How can I be a land grabber for doing the work of Hon. Commissioner for Lands. In my own community Mbaishii, in Ngor Okpala local government, Imo State government under former Governor Achike Udenwa Administration acquired 2000 hectares of land and we are still living. We need to know that under the extant Land Use Act the Governor is the custodian of all Lands in the State and can deal with any for Public purposes. Let us all be guided."

Also in his reaction, one of the officials of the government accused for land grabbing and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Monitoring and Compliance, Chinasa Nwaneri dismissed the accusations and urged the community to write to the Governor for his fatherly action.

"I will show you a copy of the government's acquisition proposed site plan. The remaining part of the land has been mapped out for the building of a sub-station of Orashi power station. It is for the public good," he stated.