The separatist group urged Ihedioha to withdraw his court case with the community over the said land or be ready to face the consequences.
The Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) has accused the former governor of Imo State, Emeka Ihedioha, of planning to forcefully take over some parts of Umuekwune community in the state.
The community is in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of the state. IPOB also accused the former governor of planning to hand over the land to Fulani herders for the establishment of RUGA.
Ruga is a Fulani word for human settlement, and can also be interpreted as the acronym for "rural grazing area", proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to resolve the conflict between nomadic Fulani herdsmen and sedentary farmers. It was however widely rejected in Southern Nigeria.
IPOB, who said that Ihedioha plans to give the land to Fulani herders as a political compensation to secure the government’s support to achieve his governorship ambition, warned him to desist from the alleged plan.
The separatist group urged Ihedioha to withdraw his court case with the community over the said land or be ready to face the consequences.
In a statement by its Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma Powerful, IPOB said it “condemns in strong terms the reckless action of Hon. Emeka Ihedioha over the intimidation and humiliation of the good people of Umuekwune Community in Ngor Okpala.”
IPOB said, “It is pathetic that Emeka Ihedioha can only use his powers and connections as given him by the zoo government to intimidate the people of Umuekwune in Ngor Okpala over their ancestral land. He wants to give it as a gift to terrorist Fulani herdsmen for political compensation.
“It is an affront for Emeka Ihedioha dragging the entire Umuekwune community to court over a landed property after converting an NDDC supposed project for the Umuekwune community to his personal farm in the same community that he can manipulate justice in his favor.
“We are aware that the plans of Emeka Ihedioha are to dubiously get the ancestral community land and later give it to his Fulani masters for RUGA in exchange for political support for Imo State governorship position.”
Maintaining that “IPOB won't allow him to do such,” the secessionist group said, “Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, you have only one option; that is to withdraw the case from the court and go and settle the matter traditionally with your mother's people before the good people of Ngor Okpala declare you an abominable grandchild.”
“Stop humiliating the communities because you have power. Leave the ancestral community land to the owners. If you don't, it will destroy you politically and any political party that identifies with you in the coming elections should be ready to accept whatever comes their way before, during and after the elections,” it added.