By Ovat Abeng
Aged women under the umbrella of Nimo Women Folk, has staged a peaceful protest over alleged land fraudulent activities by some Nimo community leaders suspected to loyal to the Traditional ruler of the town, His Royal Highness Igwe Maximus Ike Iliobi, in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State.
The women, who stormed the State Government House along Enugu-Onitsha Highway Awka, on Thursday, carrying placards with different inscriptions such as we need peace in Nimo with Olimax on the throne as Owelle Nimo, Nimo will never know peace, On the decision of 27th December, 2024 general meeting we stand, we stand with our husbands that Igwe Maximus Ike Iliobi must go, governor Soludo you are our only solution, governor Soludo please save us from the tyranny leadership of Igwe Ike Iliobi among others.
They called on the governor to urgently intervene.
The women, who also marched to the state House of Assembly complex to register their complaints, warned the traditional ruler to step down from to allowed another person enthroned the traditional stood of the community with immediate effect.
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In an open letter addressed to Governor Soludo, signed by the National President of the women folk, Mrs Chizoba Stella Odili and over 600 others, which they made available to journalists, the women alleged that the ongoing land grabbing activities was capable of breaching the peace-building efforts of governor Soludo’s led-administration.
The letter read; “We are the women of Nimo community. We are law abiding citizens and strong adherents to the rule of law and order.
“We make these demands which we also bring by ourselves to you to buttress their importance.
“We hope that they will receive your urgent attention and immediate consideration
“We appeal to your good office Sir, to call to order our traditional ruler, Igwe Maxi Oliobi, over his insistence that a peaceful town like Nimo community, will no longer know peace during his reign. The confusion he has brought into the community has lingered for over four years now.
“The Igwe has consistently abused our traditional stool by using his position and office to intimidate and harass his subjects; we ,the women, our husbands and sons. We are appalled about the set of actions he continues to take with every sense of arrogance; using his security operatives to create fear and unease in the entire Nimo community. Thus causing serious problems and social unrest in Nimo.
Some of the grounds upon which we make this Save Our Soul (SOS) demand include but not limited to;
Igwe Maxi Oliobi, Owelle Nimo forcefully usurped our farm lands using his position, and with the help of his security operatives intimidated us to total submission. This is the same way he treats people he does business with or employ their services. He will always flog them, and intimidate them with heavy threats when they demand for their rights.
“Igwe Maxi Oliobi uses his position to grab and sell our farm lands with his cohorts, for their selfish interests, especially those at Owa, Owe and others. Thus denying us our rights and opportunities to farm those lands. He destroyed our farm crops without any recourse to any form of compensation, in the guise that he is developing the lands, even without the approval of Nimo people.
Grabbing and selling of these lands is causing serious problems in Nimo today. Despite the commotion about this illegal acquisition and sales of people’s land, they are still insisting on continual selling of the lands.
The Igwe has severally abused the rights of our sons and husbands, by writing several petitions against them to the police anticult units, the DSS, NSCD. On several of these occasions, our husbands and children have been locked up in police cells, falsely labelled as cultists, kidnappers, miscreants, and terrorists. He is in court with some of them as at today on false accusations.
The Igwe sent his men to vandalize government water reticulation installations in Nimo; excavated and carted away the steel pipes, dismantled and removed the water pumps and power generation engines. These items are no where to be found today. The implication is that there is no hope for us to have and enjoy government public pipe borne water in Nimo again.
This unbelievable act from an Igwe has caused the State Government billions in financial losses.
The Igwe halted some individually initiated development projects that were brought to Nimo community.
He stopped Mr. Paul Chidozie (PCC) from installing solar lights along Oye Nimo axis of Neni road.
He also stopped the construction of the road that traverses his compound which Chief Emeka Chinweokwu( Obiadada Nimo) begged todo. He has by this discouraged our people from taking up developmental projects and will rather prefer that the money is brought to him for a chieftaincy title.
Awards he gives out anyhow to undeserving individuals without regards to the provisions of our constitution. He prefers to sell the titles for money. He will have problems with any person who is decent enough to refuse the offer for the Chieftaincy award which he gives out at huge cost.
Igwe Maxi Oliobi, Owelle Nimo has caused serious problems in Nimo that the people of Nimo, especially, we the women folk have lost confidence in him.
There’s no guarantee of the safety of our lives and sources of livelihood under his reign.
Equally, there’s no guarantee that Nimo will ever have peace, for meaningful economic development to ensue under his reign.
Your Excellency Sir, we appeal for your quick intervention to avoid total break down of law and order in our dear town Nimo, the women concluded.
Receiving the letter from the protesting women on behalf the government, the Secretary to the State Government, Prof Solo Chukwulobelu and the State Commissioner for Local Government/Chieftaincy/Community Affairs, Hon Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, assure the women that the government of Prof Soludo, being a solution government will wade into the issue and result it once and for all.
Attempt to speak with the Traditional ruler probe abortive as several calls put across to his telephone line were not answered as at the time of filling this report.
