Rivers Community Calls For Diligent Prosecution Of Alleged Landgrabber
The Elikpokpodu Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State have urged the judiciary in the state to do due diligence in the case involving a suspected landgrabber, Jude Mooru.
Jude Mooru, a suspected landgrabber was reportedly arrested by the police in the state for landgrabbing activities and was later remanded to the correctional center by a court.
Speaking on the matter, some leaders of the community urged the judiciary to diligently prosecute the matter and to ensure that justice is served in the matter.
The community leaders also called on the government to nip in the bud, the menace of land grabbing in the community to avoid it escalating to other parts of the state.
According to Chief Okpara Ebere, the community has enjoyed some quietness since the reported arrest of Mr Jude Mooru.
“We thank the Commissioner of Police because since the arrest of Jude Mooru, we have recorded some peace in the community, we are also appealing to the judiciary to do the needful on other land grabbers to serve as a deterrent to those who want to come and grab our community lands”.
He also called on the police authority to stop granting security cover to those involved in land grabbing in the area as he alleged that the land grabbers are boastful because of the security personal which accompanies them to take lands in the community.
“We are saying that the police authorities should not be giving them police because that’s what’s giving them the power to grab more lands in the community and they are boasting that nothing will happen to them and that they are sharing the lands with the police and that if they are arrested, they will call Abuja to make sure they are released,” Chief Ebere stated.
On his part, Dike Mark Josiah, an opinion leader, while also calling for diligent prosecution of the matter, expressed the fear that if nothing was done urgently, the menace of land grabbing in the area could spread to other parts of the state.
“As a peace-loving community, we are still speaking to the Rivers State Government to put an end to this menace of land grabbing that has bedeviled our state. I’m telling you that when this development will go down to other communities in Rivers State, the worst would happen. They are testing the waters here and if they go scot free, they will go to other areas. If they don’t nip it in the bud now, it will spread like wildfire,” he said .
Also speaking, Head Chief of Elikpokpodu Community, Azubuike Nmecha said the government and all relevant agencies should come to the aid of the community and safe them from activities of the suspected landgrabbers, urging the government and security agencies to go after members of the langrabbing syndicate terrorising the community.
“We call on the DSS to come and know exactly what is happening in Elikpokpodu. We also call on the civil society organisations to come to come to our aid so that we can have peace”.
“Now that they have arrested Jude Mooru, the architect of the problem of Elikpokpodu land grabbing, we are now sleeping with our two eyes closed and we asked that the needful be done to safe our lives and also look into this Ndubuisi Amaewhule issue and others that have demolished peoples buildings and fences and they are on the run, let the government try to get them and let them explain how they own those places,” he added.
