Imo women protest, demand return of ancestral land after zoo relocation

Govt decides what to do with land, replies Uzodimma’s aide
Scores of women from Umuejechi, Nekede, in Owerri West Local Council of Imo State, numbering over 1,000 protested, yesterday, demanding that the hectares of land, where the state zoo was before it was relocated, to be returned to them to farm on.

The women, led by Nneoma Asoluka, wore black apparels, carrying placards with different inscriptions. The protest disrupted socio-economic activities in Owerri, blocking the entrance to the Government House.

The protesters also prevented vehicles either entering or coming out from the premises of the seat of power until they were appealed to.

According to Asoluka, historically, the land was acquired from them by the state government about 50 years ago (1970s) after the state’s Centre for Tourism and Excursion District Headquarters, and a secondary school, as well as a tertiary institution were relocated.

She said that it was their communal farm land before the acquisition, wondering why after the zoo was relocated some months ago to an unknown destination, the state government was yet to return it to the community for farming purposes.

Speaking to The Guardian on the issue, the Special Adviser to the Governor Hope Uzodimma on Print Media, Amby Uneze, said the land belongs to the state government, stressing that the state government decides on what to do with it for developmental purposes.

Uneze urged the protesting women to consult very well to know the actual fact and desist from protesting.