Many ladies from Umuejechi Nekede have started a peaceful protest to voice their opposition to the Imo State Government’s “coercive acquisition” of their ancestral land. The unhappy women claimed that the government had taken their land even though there had been court decisions in their favor. These somber women carried banners with various messages written on them and shouted melancholic songs while dressed entirely in black, according to Vanguard.
Some of the placards read: “Governor Uzodimma, we also have property rights; we can’t be slaves in our home. Governor Uzodimma, please leave our land for us. This is the only land left for us and our children”.
Addressing journalists at the protest site, Dr. Mrs. Regina Emereonye, the Assistant Woman Leader, warned that anarchy would inevitably ensue wherever the rule of law is disregarded.
In Regina’s words, “We are a very peaceful community, but our peaceful stance to life and living should not be taken for granted by anybody.
“Anarchy, which blows no one any good, ultimately creeps in, anytime and wherever the rule of law is forced to take a flight in any place.
“The land in dispute is our ancestral land. It was leased to the defunct Eastern Region Government before the civil war, for agricultural purposes.
“Since the State Zoological Garden and Wildlife Park, which used to be money spinning tourist centre is moribund, the land ought to revert to the original land owners, in full compliance with the subsisting court judgments.”
In the interim, the community has corresponded with Governor Hope Uzodimma regarding the persistent encroachment on lands previously occupied by the Agriculture Development Corporation, via their representative Mr. U.B.O. Obinna.
