Tension Brews in Imerienwe in Ngor/ Okpalla L.G.A over alleged takeover/ grabbing of Mboke Umuoye ancestral land
A fresh wave of tension is building in Mboke community, Umuoye Imerienwe, following allegations that influential actors, operating under the guise of development, have moved to take control of ancestral family land without consultation, consent, or due community process.
At the centre of the controversy is the vast expanse of land known as Okohia-Alaukwu — a historically sensitive ancestral territory said to have remained under the exclusive ownership and custodianship of Umu Okere and Amadi family of Mboke for generations.
Community sources describe the land as sacred heritage property whose ownership boundaries and lineage rights have long been established and recognized within the traditional structure of the area.
However, within the last few days, videos and reports began circulating across community platforms showing heavy clearing activities on the land.
Indigenes claim the operation was being allegedly coordinated by persons linked to the leadership of the Imerienwe Peoples Assembly led by the President General, Mr Godwin Ekeocha, in conspiracy with armed hooligans and miscreants with claims that the site is being prepared over for the development of a market.
The development has since triggered outrage, suspicion, and growing accusations of an attempted land grab disguised as public development.
Several indigenes who spoke to newsmen questioned how such a massive project — reportedly spanning more than 700 plots — could commence without the knowledge, consent, or participation of the original landholding families, the Okere and Amadi aforesaid.
Community elders further recalled that the Ndiokwu village had, in previous years, allegedly advanced claims over portions of the land, efforts that were said to have been resisted and effectively squashed following interventions by community leaders and traditional authorities.
However, many residents now fear that those earlier ambitions may have resurfaced through what they describe as a “roundabout route” involving external collaborators and speculative development interests.
The controversy is also reviving memories of an earlier land dispute involving Mr. Juvenal Akondu One and members of his family, who reportedly made incursions into the Okohia-Alaukwu area in a bid to assert ownership claims.
According to community sources, the original owners, the Amadi and Okere families brought the matter before the Eze-in-Council under the leadership of the HRH Augustine Ekechi, Eze Ijenwe II of Imerienwe Autonomous Community — incidentally an indigene of the same community harbouring both Mboke and Ndiokwu villages.
Following deliberations and traditional adjudication, the Eze-in-Council ruled that the said Okohia Alaukwu parcel of land rightfully belonged to the Umu Okere-na-Amadi family Mboke, the said Eze in Council’s judgement was in writing signed by the Eze, his Council, representatives of Okere and Amadi and the Ibe family.
Residents argue that the latest development appear to undermine and or bypass that earlier traditional judgement which is binding.
Sources within the community further disclosed that a formal petition and letter had already been written to the Imo State Commissioner of Police, alerting authorities to the growing tension, disputed ownership concerns, and fears of possible breakdown of law and order if the matter is not urgently addressed.
Even more troubling, according to residents, is the alleged absence of consultation with the Okere and Amadi family.
Sources insist that neither the Chairman of Mboke community nor recognized representatives of the affected kindreds were officially informed before clearing activities reportedly began.
“This is not community development. Development does not begin with secrecy,” says Barr. Iyke Nwawuike, a member of the indigenous family bloc and legal luminary.
According to him “You cannot wake up and enter a family’s ancestral land with bulldozers while the owners are hearing about it through videos.”
Questions are also being raised about the legality and environmental implications of the proposed project, especially amid claims that portions of the land fall under protected forest reserve classifications within Imo State.
Environmental stakeholders and concerned indigenes argue that any large-scale conversion of forest land for commercial purposes ought to involve extensive regulatory scrutiny, environmental approvals, and public consultation processes.
To many residents, the clearing exercise now appears less like organized development and more like an underhanded attempt by land speculators and vested interests to take over ancestral land under the cover of modernization and economic expansion.
The controversy deepened further as questions emerged over the practical and economic logic of the proposed market project.
Residents point out that the disputed land lies deep within forested terrain, far removed from existing commercial activity and basic infrastructure.
According to multiple accounts, the location currently lacks:
accessible road networks, electricity infrastructure,
water systems and viable transportation access.
Community members argue that establishing any functional market there would require: construction of entirely new access roads, installation of miles of electricity poles and transmission infrastructure, possible diversion of natural water pathways,
and significant public investment.
This has led many to ask why such an ambitious project is suddenly being prioritized when the long-neglected Ulakwo–Imerienwe- Umuekwune- Etche road — a major economic artery affecting thousands of residents — has remained in deplorable condition for decades without meaningful intervention.
Beyond the physical concerns lies an even deeper governance and legitimacy crisis.
Critical questions now echo across Mboke and adjoining communities:
Who authorized the clearing of the land?
Who awarded any contract connected to the project?
What agency approved it?
Was there an Environmental Impact Assessment?
Who is funding the project?
Was compensation discussed?
Which families signed away the land, if any?
Where was the agreement reached?
Why were the custodial landowners allegedly excluded?
And perhaps most importantly: who benefits?
Was the traditional ruler, Eze Augustine Ekechi, aware of this illegality over this land which he and his council gave judgement.
Observers say the silence from some traditional and community authorities is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
In many Igbo communities, royal fathers and traditional institutions are regarded not merely as ceremonial figures but as custodians of ancestral trust, communal equity, and intergenerational justice.
Consequently, many residents say they expected a more transparent and conciliatory process before any activity involving ancestral land of this magnitude commenced.
Instead, what has emerged is a growing atmosphere of distrust, anxiety, and fear of elite-backed dispossession.
Community stakeholders are now calling for: an immediate suspension of all clearing activities, full public disclosure of the project details,
independent verification of land ownership claims, clarification of the status of the land as a possible protected forest reserve and an emergency stakeholders’ meeting involving the Umu Okere and Amadi family, traditional institutions, youth leaders, and community authorities.
For many in Mboke, Umuoye and Imerienwe at large, the issue is no longer merely about land.
It is becoming a test of transparency, traditional accountability, environmental protection, community consent, and whether development can truly be called development when the people most affected say they were never consulted at all.
