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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
The feud between the Dredgers and Excavators Association in Imo State and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) has taken another dimension as the miners have threatened to drag the water authority to court over alleged extortion, harassment and intimidation of its members.
The miners have consistently alleged extortion, harassment and intimidation of its members by NIWA officials in the state, while dredging sand at the Otamiri River.
Addressing journalists in Owerri, Head of Green and Green Chambers, Oluchukwu Nnabugwu, solicitors to the dredgers warned that if officials of NIWA in the state do not cease to obstruct their clients from lawfully doing their job, they would face a legal action after the expiration of their notice in 30 days.
He claimed that the dredgers have been subjected to all manner of human rights abuses in the process of doing their job by NIWA, including collecting tax from them despite the association being fully licensed by the Mining Cadastre Office (MCO) under the Nigerian Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and fulfilled all statutory financial obligations required by the law.
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Nnabugwu said: “Officers of NIWA have on multiple occasions, harassed, intimidated, extorted, and obstructed members of the Imo Dredgers and Excavators Association, while they’re carrying out lawful sand dredging and excavation operations on the Otamiri River.
“NIWA officers have destroyed working equipment and operational materials, thereby inflicting significant economic losses on our clients.”
However reacting to the claims and threat by the dredgers, the State Director of NIWA, Vincent Odia, described the allegations as false insisting that the dredgers did not have any permit to operate on their waterways.
“All these allegations are false anyway. These people are in contravention of NIWA Act. None of these dredgers have any permit to operate on our waterways. But I am still waiting to get clearance from our headquarters. We have a lot to say. We know the masterminds of the allegations and by the grace of God the authority will handle them accordingly,” Odia said.
