In a recent development, the echoes of alleged land dispossession have reverberated through Imo State as a committee instituted by the state government delivers a decisive verdict on former Governor Rochas Okorocha. The committee, tasked with recovering land belonging to Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education, pointed fingers at Okorocha for what they termed the forceful seizure of the college’s land.
The committee’s report, authored by Prof. Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe and B. F. Anyanwu, was presented to Governor Hope Uzodimma, detailing the alleged misconduct of Okorocha. The report asserts that Okorocha employed coercive tactics, even enlisting the help of the military and hoodlums, to wrest the land from the college. This land, it’s alleged, was then sold or allotted to Okorocha’s close associates.
The committee made a bold recommendation that the Shell Camp land be reclaimed from Okorocha and his associates within a span of six months, and subsequently, be returned to Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education. The names of beneficiaries of this alleged “bazaar” include prominent figures such as Okorocha’s in-laws, Dr. Uzoma Anwuka and Kingsley Uju, along with Chief Acho Ihim, Charles Orie, Prince Charles Amadi, and Ugochukwu Hillary.
As this revelation unfolds, anticipation mounts over the potential repercussions. It remains to be seen whether the Imo State Executive Council will heed the committee’s call for the retrieval of these allegedly unlawfully acquired lands.
Moreover, observers are keen to witness if the state government, under Governor Uzodimma’s leadership, will act swiftly to reclaim the land and confer it back to the rightful owner, Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education. Only time will reveal the extent of the legal ramifications and the subsequent impact on the state’s political landscape.
