Amby Uneze in Owerri
The Imo State High Court sitting in Owerri presided by Justice Clement Akobundu, Thursday, January 23, 2025 has ordered all parties to the case to restrain from further trespassing or excavation of the farm lands belonging to the Umuolea kindred in Eziama Ngor Okpala Local Government of the State till the substantive matter is determined.
In a suit No. HOW/967/2024 filed by Umuolea Kindred in Umuchie Eziama Ngor-Okpala Local Government challenging the Imo State Government on alleged forceful grabbing of their ancestral farm lands.
The Presiding Judge made the order in response to the oral application made by the plaintiff’s counsel Mr. Ngozi Olehi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in that regard and after giving due consideration to the need to ensure peace and guide against any resort to self help either by the defendants in the nature of further forceful entry and escavation of the lands which are the subject of the litigation or by the Plaintiff’s in an attempt to repel further forceful entry into the lands in dispute while the matter is still in court.
The court decried the absence of the defendants in court in the previous proceedings of the court on the matter. However, at the last sitting of the court, the Acting Solicitor-General of Imo State, Mrs. Gloria Egwuagu pleaded with the court for time to study and prepare the responses of the State government to the suit filed by the plaintiff’s Counsel.
The Plaintiff's counsel on behalf of the Umuolea Kindred of Umuchie Eziama, Ngor-Okpala had told the court that the farmlands of the kindred were recently invaded and excavated by the Imo state government's agents and those of Evangelist Ebuka Obi of Zion Ministry Incorporated who claimed that the land was acquired eighteen years ago by the Achike Udenwa administration.
The court also granted the request of the acting Solicitor-General of the State as prayed stating that in order to ensure speedy dispensation of justice in the case, the Court made an order for accelerated hearing of the case.
Recalled that the Umolea kindred had last year paid series of Save Our Soul visits to prominent Imo State indigenes and media institutions on the forceful and grabbing dispute, among whom are the Catholic Archbishop of Owerri and President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria, Archbishop Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji.
The case was adjourned to the 27th of February 2025 for accelerated hearing.
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