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From Fred Itua, Abuja
Chelsea Group Limited has called on the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to intervene in an ongoing land dispute in Imo State, between it and the General Overseer/Founder of Zion Gate Ministries, Chukwuebuka Obi, popularly known as Ebuka Obi.
The company at a news conference in Abuja, claimed that the disputed parcel of land was allocated to Imo-Chelsea Industrial Park Limited, under a Public Private Partnership agreement between its client and the Imo State Government, to develop an industrial park/hub, known as the Imo/Chelsea Industrial Park.
It claimed the church wants to convert the same for use as a worship centre.
Lead Counsel to Chelsea Group, Rex Erameh, said his client was reliably informed that last Wednesday, some youths within the community who are bent on ensuring that they benefit from the economic development which the industrial park would provide, took over the land to protect it from being further encroached upon by members of the church, with respect to the building/construction currently going on there.
“This is likely to degenerate into chaos because from what we have gathered, Ebuka Obi is planning to conclude the church’s 100 days prayer and fasting spiritual exercise on the same land.
“We use this medium to immediately call on the IGP to wade into this matter before it degenerates further, especially as there is a subsisting court order of injunction,” the lead counsel noted.
He said the case was in court, where the church is one of the defendants. The lawyer added that an injunction had already been secured, stopping any activity on the land.
“It will interest you to know that this matter is currently pending at the Imo State High Court, Owerri in Suit No. HOW/773/2024.
“The defendants in the above suit are, the Imo State Government as the 1st and 2nd defendants, the respective heads of the four autonomous communities that make up the Ngor-Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, known as the Eze as the 3rd to the 6th defendants, the 7th defendant and Mr Chukwuebuka Obi, the founder and General Overseer of the Zion Gate Ministries, as the 8th defendant.
“My client, the 1st plaintiff, entered into a public private partnership agreement with the Imo State Government, for the acquisition of an industrial park/hub, known as the Imo/Chelsea Industrial Park, which is already an Export Processing Zone (EPZ), covering about 2,000 hectares of land, aimed at creating employment and job opportunities for Imo State indigenes and Nigerians at large,” the text of the press conference read.
Meanwhile, the church at a press conference in Lagos on Saturday explained why it chose Imo State as the venue for its upcoming three-day world conference.
According to the ministry, Imo fits the bill in its quest for a larger space to accommodate its rapidly expanding congregation.
The ministry also disclosed that it would establish its Zion City in Ngor-Okpala, Imo State, which would serve as its headquarters that will house a university, secondary school, hospital, and facilities for the elderly. The said place is the disputed land.
A senior member of its Evangelical Ministry, Patrick Ihionu, said: “We have secured 21,000 plots of land in Ngor-Okpala in Imo State, where we would build a Zion City, not only an auditorium. We would have a university, secondary school, hospital, and old people’s home to cater to our members, and indeed, the people of Imo State and beyond. This will serve as our headquarters in Nigeria. Before now, we have held it in Lagos; so for us, it is like a homecoming.”
