Imo State Government has threatened to confiscate the land belonging to the Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC).
The land was acquired by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Staff Cooperative Society Limited five years ago at Umuezu Emii in Owerri North Local Government along Owerri – Aba Road to develop a staff housing scheme.
In a statement, the Co-operative Society, said that the government threatened to take over the land in spite of the court order preventing it to do so.
“The land measuring approximately 11002.051 square metres was surveyed for the proposed staff housing scheme and signboards were mounted at two locations on the land to that effect. Suddenly, it was discovered that the beacons and the signboards were removed by unknown persons. This was reported to the State Police Headquarters, Owerri, for investigation” the statement, said.
However, a source, who pleaded anonymity disclosed that some State Government officials, irrespective of the NSC signboards and the various beacons on the land, mobilised tractors and bulldozers into the land, and cleared the property.
According to the source, the government broke the 45 beacons used to survey the land in 2016 and 201; pulled down and carted away the four big signboards mounted at different times on the land valued at millions of naira.
When the Nigerian Shippers Council Cooperative Society learnt of the clearing, it wrote a petition to the State Government titled: “Clearing of Parcel of Land situated at Okohia Umuezu Emohe in Owerri North LGA Belonging to Nigerian Shippers’ Council Cooperative Society, Lagos Allegedly by the Imo State Government”.
The letter was addressed to the Secretary to the State Government, Imo State of Nigeria and copied the Commissioner, Ministry of Lands & Urban Planning, Attorney General / Commissioner for Justice, Imo State, Chief of Staff to the Governor, and the Deputy Chief of Staff to the Governor of Imo State.
In the said letter, the cooperative society pleaded with the state government to see reason and return the property to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council Staff Cooperative Society to enable it continue with its intended staff housing scheme.
However, the government has not responded to the petition. ENDS