A Human Rights group, Amnesty International For The Oppressed has indicated interest to intervene in a case of land grabbing involving the Imo State government and one Chief Ugo. C Ugo.
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Representative of the group, Hon. Hilary Njoku told newsmen in Owerri that he has been following the plight of Chief Ugo, whom he said retired from NIPOST and used the gratuity paid him to buy 1000sq metres of plot 151 Area ‘R’, which was taken over by Imo State Government and later re-allocated to someone else for the building of aprivate school without replacement or compensation.
Hon. Njoku said his group is prepared to fight the cause of Chief Ugo to a logical conclusion if the Imo State Government fail to return his land in the next 30 days. He confirmed that he has gotten all the necessary briefs, including the video clips from the electronic media that covered the 10th May 2017 Freedom Day Celebration where Mr. Ugo stated his ordeal to the State Governor. He vowed to engage legal practitioners through the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Imo State chapter to take up the matter.
Hon. Njoku recalled that Chief Ugo, during the 2017 Freedom Day Celebration complained to Governor Okorocha that his land was taken over by the State government without replacement or compensation. According to him after listening to Chief Ugo, the Governor directed the then Commissioner for Lands, Dr. Lawrence Eburuoh to examine his documents and his Certificate of Occupancy which Dr. Eburuoh confirmed .
“Governor Okorocha directed the Commissioner of Lands to give Chief Ugo another land close to his former land. A year after, Chief Ugo is yet to get a replacement of his land after the governor’s directives on that faithful day” he said
BY CYRIL ARIRIGUZO