PHOTO: Major Speaker and Advocacy/Public Affairs Consultant to the Communities , Dr Sam Amadi. Spokesperson of Mbaishii , Dr.Ugo Jim-Nwoko , Barrister Armstrong Ukwuoma , Mr Ndubuisi Eke, Mr Aaron Okereafor.
*Accuses Imo Govt, Evang. Ebuka Obi of ‘economic genocide’
By Ihechi Enyinnaya
Mbaishii Autonomous community in Ngor/Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State has cried out over what they described as an “economic genocide” and a “brutal land grab” allegedly orchestrated by the Imo State Government in collaboration with Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s Zion Ministry.
They raised the alarm during a world press conference held on Wednesday at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Secretariat in Abuja.
Held under the auspices of the Mbaishii People’s Assembly, the communities accused the state government of deploying military and police forces to forcibly occupy over 30,000 hectares of ancestral farmland—land they say has sustained generations of peasant farmers. They claim that the presence of security forces has not only blocked access to their farmland but also resulted in the destruction of valuable crops, economic trees, livestock farms, and other sources of livelihood.
“Our people are predominantly farmers. Over 80% of our families depend solely on this land to feed, educate their children, pay medical bills, and contribute to community development,” a spokesperson for the group said. “Now, our farmlands have been overrun by bulldozers and armed personnel. It is a siege on our lives, dignity, and future.”
The land in dispute spans communities such as Umuchie Eziama, Umulu, Umuegirige, Umuogba Eziama, Umuocham Ntu, Umuokpo Ntu, Umuhoko Ntu, and Alatia-Amala—all part of the Mbaishii region in Imo State. The group insisted that the government had no legal backing for the acquisition, citing previous court rulings declaring earlier attempts to seize parts of the land as unlawful.
They referenced two Imo State High Court judgments from 2010 and 2011—delivered in suits HOW/624/2006 and HOW/627/2006 respectively—which ruled against any compulsory acquisition of the land and granted perpetual injunctions against the state government and its agents.
In a scathing rebuke, the communities accused the Imo State Government of resurrecting the failed 2006 acquisition under a false claim of a 2007 takeover, allegedly re-allocating the land to Zion Ministry to build a massive worship center. They argue that this violates both national and international laws, including the Nigerian Constitution, the Land Use Act of 1978, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“If this land was acquired for a church project or private religious business venture, then the justification of ‘public purpose’ falls flat. This is clearly a privatization of public power for personal or religious gain,” the group stated.
They further challenged the legality of deploying the military for a civil land matter, arguing that the Nigerian Constitution only permits such deployment in cases of external aggression, war, or large-scale insurrection—none of which they say applies in this case.
The group also noted ongoing court cases involving the land, including suits HOW/184/2024, HOW/967/2024, HOW/15/2025, and HOW/191/2025, claiming the state government has been in flagrant contempt of court by continuing activities on the land despite subsisting injunctions.
“The bulldozers of the Zion Ministry, under the protection of heavily armed military personnel, have destroyed cassava fields, yams, plantain plantations, poultry farms, and piggery projects. What we are witnessing is nothing short of a coordinated economic war against our people,” they declared.
With visible emotion, the delegation recounted harrowing scenes of women and children watching helplessly as farmlands were razed—likening the situation to a humanitarian crisis in the making.
“This assault on our economic base has all the features of a genocide. A silent, systematic erasure of a people’s means of survival,” the spokesperson said.
The Mbaishii communities called on President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Inspector-General of Police to immediately order the withdrawal of security forces from their lands and halt what they described as “executive lawlessness.”
They also urged journalists and media houses to investigate the matter independently and bring international attention to what they described as “a blatant abuse of power, a breach of fundamental rights, and a threat to democracy.”
“This is no longer just about land. It is about the soul of justice, the dignity of human life, and the survival of our people,” they concluded.
The Imo State Government and Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s Zion Ministry have yet to issue an official response to the allegations.