Angered by what they described as forceful takeover of ancestral land, girls from Umuiche, Elelem in Ngor-Okpala Native Authorities Space of Imo State, have vowed to stage bare protest on the road if their land allegedly being grabbed by some high politicians within the state shouldn’t be returned.
The ladies, who staged a peaceable protest of their numbers, mentioned they’re now ravenous because of the encroachment of their land by the alleged politicians, who they mentioned have boasted to take pleasure in powers on the corridors of presidency.
Talking to journalists, the lady chief of the protesting girls, Mrs. Elizabeth Okere, lamented that the lands at Ndichie Uzo Ubi, Agaranwa, Ngara and Ahaba have served as technique of livelihood to majority of the natives, who she mentioned are predominantly farmers.
“What you’re seeing at the moment is small in comparison with what’s going to occur subsequent in the event that they don’t return our land to us. We desire going bare on the road to dying of starvation in our personal land over what has been ours for ages.
“After we discuss they chase us away with their thugs. We will’t entry our personal land once more. The world ought to hear the cry of moms and, in the event that they don’t need us to name on our ancestors bare on this land, they need to return it to us,” she mentioned.
Briefing journalists, the chairman of the village, Mr. Chiaka Amagba, claimed that over 5 thousand hectares of the mentioned land have been encroached upon.
“We wish our land again. It’s our ancestral land we used for our farming. They don’t have any enterprise encroaching on it. The land is our solely supply of livelihood as we’re predominantly farmers. We need to attraction to the suitable authorities to assist us recuperate our land again,” he lamented.
In his speech, the youth chief of the village, Eugene Onyema, accused the mentioned politicians and their cohorts of harassing them with thugs every time they’re confronted.
He narrated that the villagers are being handled as slaves in their very own land because the alleged land grabbers chase them with armed thugs at any time when they attempt to confront them.
“They brag and inform us that we can not do something. We don’t know who else to show to however beg organisations like Amnesty Worldwide and the federal government to assist us get our land again,” he appealed.
Equally, Mr. Chris Nwogu, the village secretary, identified that the house owners of the land have been subjected to perpetual hunger since they’ll not get entry to their farmland anymore.
“Now we have little portion left and if care shouldn’t be taken they may seize what’s left from us and go away us with nothing. Already we’re struggling the consequences of the forceful grabbing of land.
We skilled unhealthy harvest final 12 months and this 12 months will not be totally different. Our kids and different members of the family are virtually dying of hunger, therefore the necessity for pressing assist from the suitable authorities to avoid wasting us from these politicians,” he mentioned.
Nwogu, nonetheless, added that the village management has already concluded plans to petition the suitable authorities on the matter.
