Land Dispute: Imo Community Wants IGP to Stop Monarch from Using Armed Thugs to Terrorize Residents

Abuja Police

Representatives of elected leaders and members of Okpanku village in Adakam Amumara autonomous community in Ezinihitte Mbaise LGA Imo State have called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP, Usman Alkali Baba to intervene to save them from the alleged intimidation and oppressive stranglehold on their liberty and safety by their traditional Ruler, Eze Ositadinma Nwokocha.

A petition against the monarch written to the IGP, and signed by the Chairman General of the community, Anayochi Eric, the Council Chairman, Chukwuemeka Okeosisi and the Secretary General, Simon Amechi on Thursday, contained the appeal.

The village representatives are saying that the said traditional ruler has on several occasions invaded their villages with unknown armed men who unleashed mayhem, broke down doors, assaulted, humiliated and abducted their people and took them to the Ezinihitte Police Area Command where they were framed with false allegations and extorted of various sums of money for no known offence.

The petition read; “the traditional ruler uses this as a tactic to intimidate and silence our people from questioning his involvement in a land dispute in Okpanku village which is currently in court.

“He is also involved in illegal sand dredging business in the community rivers crisscrossing three villages and uses local armed thugs to harass and intimidate people who elected him as their Traditional Ruler.”

The people also revealed that despite their complaints to D3 CID of Imo State Police Command, Owerri, over the activities of some of the armed thugs deployed on them by the traditional ruler, they are yet to honour the invitation of the Police.

Instead, they said, the traditional ruler has been shielding the suspects, while they continued their criminal activities.

“Invitation by the D3 CID of Imo State Police Command, Owerri recently extended to one of the traditional ruler’s dangerously armed boys, Chibuenyi Nwachukwu from his Obibi village for unlawful possession of firearms is yet to be honoured.

“The suspect coordinates the traditional ruler’s interests in illegal dredging business in the community, a source of communal tension and has been involved in several violent attacks and the use of a pump action rifle to harass, threaten and injure people on behalf of the traditional ruler.

“The police invitation to him was prompted by a complaint lodged at the Imo State Police Headquarters for unlawful possession of firearms by Amumaraokahia village. But the traditional ruler has been shielding the suspected criminal.

“Attempts by operatives from D3, State CID, Owerri, Imo State Police Headquarters to arrest the said Chibuenyi have also not been successful owing to interferences by the traditional ruler and this is precisely why we are requesting that Zone 9 Umuahia be directed to step in,” they complained.

The petition recalled the most recent incident of invasion by unknown armed men at the behest of the traditional ruler which happened on the 30th of March, 2023.

It said; “The traditional ruler Eze Nwokocha, for the umpteenth time, personally led a team of the armed men to Okpanku village where they broke down doors, beat up men and women, old and young and took away a young man and an over 75-year old man and headed to Obowo, a neighboring community.

“The armed invaders who operated in 4 Hilux trucks collected the sum of ten thousand Naira from the young man at Obowo and left him to find his way back home while they took the old man who had no money to Ezinihitte Police Area Command and dumped him in the cell.

“When a member of the community contacted the Force PRO, who in turn, contacted the Imo State Police PRO, the PRO reached out to the Area Commander Ezinihitte Area Command who told the PRO that the old man was brought to him with an allegation of unlawful possession of firearms.

“The PRO asked the Area Commander to either charge the man to court or transfer him to the state headquarters for discrete investigation.

“The next day, the old man was transferred to the state headquarters, Owerri where upon interrogation by unbiased officers, the allegation was found to be false and the traumatized old man was promptly released to go home.

“The traditional ruler has been doing this same thing over and over again against his people and he is not going to stop unless he is called to order.”

The people of Okpanku village in Adakam Amumara autonomous community called for a discrete investigation into the role of the traditional ruler, Eze Nwokocha, in cavorting with and frequently inviting unknown armed men into their peaceful community in this trying times of insecurity.

“Eze Nwokocha’s actions is engendering a state of terror and fear in Adakam community, and his use of the armed men to terrorise community members in order to protect his personal financial benefits from land disputes and illegal dredging activities that are damaging the environment, needs to be investigated.

“We call on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to direct the AIG, Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia to carry out prompt and unbiased investigation in order to save the people from violence and oppression by Eze Nwokocha.

“We rely on your office for prompt intervention via a thorough, unbiased and effective investigation to save our people from terror and to bring the perpetrators to account,” the people begged the IGP.

Meanwhile, TNC investigations reveals that stakeholders from the villages comprising Asakam community in Ezinihite Mbaise have filed an action in court against the traditional ruler, Eze Nwokocha and others for illegally removing a democratically elected president general of the community.

The plaintiffs, who are also signatories to the earlier petition, include the elected President General of Adakam Town Union, Prof Cyril Nwankwo and the Chairmen-General of the villages in the community, while the defendants are Eze Nwokocha, his palace secretary, Pastor Benneth Nwamuo, the purportedly-appointed President General, Mr Ifeanyi Osuji among others.

In the suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to declare that the action of the traditional ruler is illegal and undemocratic as it violates the constitution of Adakam community.

They are also asking the court to declare that the man elected as president general by the general assembly, Prof Nwankwo remains the president general until his tenure of office elapses

“The constitution does not empower the traditional ruler to appoint or remove the president general who is elected by the general assembly in accordance with constitutional provisions and can only be removed by the same body that elects him.

“We are asking the court to declare the purported removal of our elected President General, Prof. Nwankwo, as unilateral and illegal; that he has no powers under our community’s Constitution or any other law to remove a constitutionally and democratically elected president general.

“The constitution does not empower the traditional ruler to appoint or remove the president general as the PG can only be elected by the general assembly in accordance with constitutional provisions and can only be removed by the same body that elects him.

“We are also asking the court to declare that the appointment of an acting PG is illegal and ultra vires the constitution of Adakam; That the man democratically elected as president general by the general assembly remains the president general until his tenure of office elapses;

“We are praying the court to Issue an order stopping further illegal dredging activities in the community rivers until the legally established process of carrying out such activities (including environmental impact assessment) are followed and that the traditional ruler and his cohort should render a credible account of revenue accruing from dredging since they started their illegal activities until the time the court gives such orders.

“Dredging activities have destroyed our environment while the traditional ruler and his cohort alone are pocketing the revenues,” the plaintiffs said.

Meanwhile, TNC correspondent had reached out to the traditional ruler to respond to the allegations but he neither took his calls nor replied to the message sent to him.

Our correspondent was however able to reach the Palace Secretary to the monarch, Benneth Nwanmuo, who denied the allegations, saying the traditional had since January distanced himself from the sand dredging business.

He denied that the president general of the town was single-handedly removed by the monarch, alleging that he was removed by a meeting of cabinet members and other stakeholders, over his failure to formalize the dredging agreement with the dredgers

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