A former Governor of Imo State, Rochas Okorocha, was on Tuesday indicted of using brute force to dispossess Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education of its lands in the Shell Camp area of Owerri, and reallocating same to his inlaws and associates after demolishing the school’s buildings
A committee set up by the Imo State Government for the recovery of land belonging to the school indicted Okorocha in its report, saying as governor, he used brute force including the military and hoodlums to snatch the land from the College, which he then allocated or sold to his top associates.
In the report, signed by the chairman Prof Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe, and the secretary, B F Anyanwu, and submitted to Governor Hope Uzodimma, the committee recommended the recovery of the Shell Camp land from Okorocha and his associates within six months and hand the same over to AIFCE.
Those who reportedly benefited from the land grab have been similarly asked to vacate the land included two of Okorocha’s in-laws, Dr. Uzoma Anwuka and Kingsley Uju.
Apart from Okorocha’s inlaws, a former speaker, Chief Acho Ihim, Charles Orie, Prince Charles Amadi, and Ugochukwu Hillary also benefited from the illegal acquisition.
The Committee bemoaned the fact Okorocha, while in office ordered the demolition of 101 buildings belonging to the staff of the college and thereafter confiscated their property.
It, therefore, urged the Imo State Executive Council to direct the recovery of all the lands belonging to AIFCE, which are now illegally in the hands of individuals and institutions.
“AIFCE should take full possession of the vacated land and property immediately upon recovery while the Commissioner for Lands and OCDA should recover the land within six months,” the committee recommended.
It further recommended that AIFCE should pay the agreed compensation to Orji indigenes who are the original owners of the land while the Army should vacate the shanties they erected in the land and finally move to Obinze.
Governor Uzodimma, who received the report thanked the committee for doing a thorough job and promised that his government would do all within the ambits of law to implement the committee’s recommendations.
Mr. Okorocha had yet to respond to the committee’s report as at the time of filing this report.
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