The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, or NSCDC, has been urged by the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre, or RULAAC, to find and bring to justice those responsible for allegedly looting government water project equipment in Umuokpo village, Adakam Amumara autonomous community, Ezinihitte Mbaise L.G.A., Imo State.
Okechukwu Nwanguma, the Executive Director of RULAAC, said in a petition to the Imo State Commandant of NSCDC that the organisation had learned of the occurrence through Chief Oscar Uzodinma Albert, Chairman-General of the village.
According to the vandals’ alleged claims, the multibillion Naira in installed equipment was purchased from the Imo State government, led by former Governor Rochas Okorocha, and the transaction was verified by the current administration, headed by Senator Hope Uzodimma, he added.
The hamlet, according to Nwanguma, was sceptical of the assertion and questioned how the project would be sold to an unnamed private corporation.
He claimed, “Mr. Nkemjikam Erondu, former chairman of Umuokpo village, stated: “That certain people—whose names he has not yet revealed—called him and said they wanted to meet the chairman of the Umuokpo village council.
“They invited him to the Town School in Adakam Amumara, where they informed him that they had purchased the water scheme project from the outgoing governor, Rochas Okorocha, back in 2017 when he was still in power.
“The individuals stated that Senator Hope Uzodinma, the current governor of Imo State, had verified the deal.
“The people pledged to provide the host village the sum of 200,000 Naira (N200,000.00) as compensation.
Mr. Erondu further said that Eze O.B. Nwokocha, the traditional chief of the Adakam autonomous community, had “sent someone” to affirm that the project had been sold to the populace and that the village chairman should have been notified prior to the equipment’s dismantling.
The leadership of Umuokpo village claims that Mr. Erondu neglected to contact the village council after he received the communication from Eze Nwokocha so that they may ask the traditional chief for confirmation of the information.
According to reports, the locals raised the alarm after discovering extensive vandalism and the removal of fragmented equipment when they awoke roughly two weeks ago.
“RULAAC is informed that the water project in Umuokpo village is a part of the larger Owerri, Umuahia, Okigwe, and Aba Water Schemes, which were begun by the former governor of the old Imo State, Dr. Sam Onunaka Mbakwe, in the 1980s but were never finished before the Muhammadu Buhari coup, which ended the republic. The bigger Enugu, Awka, Onitsha, Abakaliki, and Nsukka Water Schemes were also started by Jim Nwobodo, but they were never finished before he lost power in the 1983 election to late Chief Christian Onoh, according to the lawsuit.
