The Imo State Government has been called to restore the ownership of Avu community land allocated to Nigeria Correctional Service in back to the establishment or the community.
Speaking to our reporter on Monday at site, the Attorney General of landowners in the community, Chief Sam Anukam also called on the state government to tackle the rising incidence of ancestral land grabbling in the area, which he said was getting out of land.
Anukam, an estate surveyor and valuer noted that part of the 38.76 hectares of land which was in the state government master plan had been marked for prison service use in Avu since 1977, adding that it was acquired through the traditional rites agreement with the landlords.
He accused the government officials of willfully vandalizing the structures already built on the site.
Anukam said, “Some agents of the Imo State Government came here and vandalised everything. There was a fence here. You can see the marks. The Nigerian Correctional Service Office fenced the property.
“The vandals just came here and broke the fence. There was a fence all through. They came and broke down all the foundation and buildings.
“So this action of agents of Imo State Government is an encroachment, an infringement, and reprehensible. We’re here to bring this thing to public domain, to let them know that it is an act of land grabbing. It’s not permissible”.
He pointed out that to turn round now and say that the land was just acquired by government was not only untrue but fraudulent, citing the documents of meetings by landowners with the NCoS is in his possession.
Anukam urged the government to restore the land to the the NCoS or the community in good faith or “stakeholders would take back the land forcefully.”
He urged the government to fish out the criminals trying to mess up the deal, even as he condemned the inability of the relevant government’s ministries to reply their correspondence on such issues.
The Public Relations Officer of Avu Elders Council, Elder Vincent Njoku, also condemned the attempt at land grabbing and said it was getting out of hand.
“The more they keep doing it, the more they’re causing a lot of problems in the community.”
He accused the land grabbers of coming with some policemen, soldiers and other security agencies, intimidating the residents.
Speaking for the Controller of Correction in the state, Mr Michael Okorie, his Deputy, Mr. Stanley Ogbosha, said the command was aware of the land grabbing, adding that the service was doing the needful to get prevent land grabbers from taking over the land.
“I think the authority has gone so far in meeting the governor and the stakeholders to make sure that the right thing is done.
What we are waiting for is for the command to reclaim the land given to the service”, Ogbosa said.
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