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From Stanley Uzoaru, Owerri
Angry women from Umuiche, Elelem in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State have threatened to protest naked on the streets if their lands allegedly taken by some top politicians in the state were not returned.
The women who staged a peaceful protest at the weekend in their numbers said they have been starving as a result of the encroachment on their land by the politicians who they said had boasted of having strong voice in the corridors of government.
Leader of the women, Mrs Elizabeth Okere, speaking during the protest lamented that the lands at Ndichie Uzo Ubi, Agaranwa, Ngara and Ahaba had served as a means of earning livelihood to majority of the natives who she said are predominantly farmers.
“What you’re seeing today is small compared to what is going to happen next if they don’t return our land to us. We prefer to go naked on the street rather than die in hunger in our own land over what has been ours for ages.
“When we talk they chase us away with their thugs, we can’t access our own land again. The world should hear the cry of mothers and, if they don’t want us to call on our ancestors naked on this land they should return it to us,” she said.
The village chairman, Mr Chiaka Amagba, told Sunday Sun that over 5000 hectares of the said land had been encroached upon.
Briefing journalists, Amagba said: “We want our land back, it’s our ancestral land we use for our farming, they don’t have any business encroaching on it. The land is our only source of livelihood as we’re predominantly farmers. We want to appeal to the appropriate authorities to help us recover our land.”
Also in his remarks, the youth leader of the village, Eugene Onyema, accused the said politicians and their cohorts of harassing them with thugs each time they were confronted.
“As if we are slaves in our own village they chase us with armed thugs when we try to confront them. They brag and tell us that we cannot do anything. We don’t know who else to turn to but beg organisations like the Amnesty International and the government to help us get our land back,” Onyema said.
Similarly, Mr Chris Nwogu, the village secretary claimed that the owners of the land have been subjected to hunger and starvation since they couldn’t farm on the land again.
“We have little portion left and if care is not taken they might grab what is left from us, leaving us with nothing. Already we’re suffering the effects of the forceful grabbing of land, we experienced a bad harvest last year and this year may not be different. Our children and other family members are almost dying of starvation. We need urgent help from the appropriate authorities to save us from these politicians but we have already concluded to petition the appropriate authorities on the intimidation on our people by these politicians,” Nwogu
