Nnewi Community Indigenes Protest Against Innoson Boss Over Land-Grabbing

Indigenes of Umuezena Community in Nnewi, Anambra State, took to the street on Friday in protest against  the Chief Executive Officer of Innoson Motors, Chief Innocent Chukwuma, over alleged land-grabbing.

The indigenes also accused the community chief, Mr. Martin Obimma, of colluding with Chief Chukwuma to dispose of their ancestral land at give-away prices.

The residents, who trooped out in their dozens, were seen carrying placards such as:

• “Innocent Chukwuma [Ifediaso Nnewi] [Innoson] enough is enough
• “Innocent Chukwuma [Innoson] [Ifediaso Nnewi] stop intruding into our communal land
• “Inspite of lockdown works are going on because our people have abided by govt. rules”
• “Innoson breached stay at home by sending caterpillar to our land”
• “Innoson’s caterpillar have destroyed all our cash crops”
• “Innoson’s caterpillar have destroyed all our roads/culverts linking to other communities“, to mention but few.

A note sent by one of the indigenes to ElombahNews reads:

The Chief of Umuezena community (Chief Martin Obimma) has been a thorn on their flesh as he sells the community’s land on his own without the consent of the people and uses the money for his selfish interests.

Now the community has gone to Innoson and told him not to buy the land at the beginning that it’s not the community’s intention but he went ahead and bought it because the chief sold it very cheap to him.

Now the community has gone to Innoson and told him everything about the Chief and the community, but Innoson continued. He gas gone to the land and he’s leveling it with caterpillar, all the crops the old women cultivated is gone.

This is the land where all the community farm. Nobody owns it. Any side you like you cultivate. Its very large hectares of land that links Nnewi to Ozubulu, Oraifite, IIiala. And it has existed for 100 years back.

ELombahNews reached out to Chief Chukwuma through his Personal Assistant, Mr. Cornel Osigwe but he is yet to respond.

See photos of the protesters below: