Imo State, Nigeria – The Committee established by the Imo State Government to oversee the recovery of land belonging to Alvan Ikoku Federal College of Education (AIFCE) has delivered a damning verdict against former governor Rochas Okorocha. On Tuesday, the committee, in its report presented to Governor Hope Uzodimma, accused Okorocha of employing brute force to seize the college’s land.
The report, endorsed by Chairman Prof Vitalis Orikeze Ajumbe and Secretary Barr B F Anyanwu, recommended the retrieval of the Shell Camp land from Okorocha and his associates within a six-month timeframe, to subsequently restore the land to AIFCE.
The investigation lamented that during his tenure as governor, Okorocha orchestrated the use of military and hoodlums to forcibly wrest the land from the college, subsequently reallocating or selling it to his close associates. Among the beneficiaries of this land acquisition were Okorocha’s in-laws, Dr Uzoma Anwuka and Hon Kingsley Uju, as well as former Speaker Chief Acho Ihim, Chief Charles Orie, Prince Charles Amadi, and Chief Ugochukwu Hillary.
The committee further condemned Okorocha for ordering the demolition of 101 buildings owned by college staff, coupled with the confiscation of their possessions.
In light of these findings, the committee urged the Imo State Executive Council to facilitate the recovery of all unlawfully held AIFCE lands by individuals and institutions. The committee also recommended the issuance of a certificate of occupancy to the college upon the successful retrieval of the land. Additionally, the committee called for AIFCE to promptly compensate the original landowners, the Orji indigenes, and advocated for the Army to vacate shanties they erected on the land, relocating to Obinze.
Governor Uzodimma expressed gratitude to the committee for their meticulous work and assured that the state government would take appropriate measures, adhering to due process, to implement the committee’s recommendations.