A human rights advocacy organisation, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), has petitioned the Imo State command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), demanding the immediate investigation and arrest of vandals and looters who vandalised government-installed water project equipment in Umuokpo village in the Adakam Amumara autonomous community of the state.
In the petition dated August 27, 2023, and signed by its Executive Director, Okechukwu Nwanguma, RULAAC said it received information from Chief Oscar Uzodinma Albert, the Chairman-General of Umuokpo village in Adakam Amumara autonomous community, Ezinihitte Mbaise Local Government Area of the state about the vandalism. It said the vandals were yet to be identified.
According to RULAAC, the vandals had reportedly claimed that they bought the multi-billion naira-installed equipment from the Imo State government under former Governor Rochas Okorocha.
“This petition is in line with NSCDC's statutory mandate to protect public infrastructure, in conjunction with the Nigeria police,” RULAAC said.
The civic organisation said that a former chairman of Umuokpo village, Mr. Nkemjikam Erondu, stated that some people (whose identities he is yet to disclose) called him and said they wanted to see the Umuokpo village council chairman and invited him to Town School, Adakam Amumara, where they told him that they bought the water scheme project from former Governor Rochas Okorocha in 2017 when he was in office.
“Erondu further explained that the people claimed that they confirmed the sale with the current governor of Imo State, Hope Uzodinma, and that they invited him, in his capacity as the chairman of the village, to inform him so that they would not face any challenge when they come to dismantle and carry away the installed equipment.”
He also noted that the people promised to pay the sum of N200,000 to the host village as compensation.
Erondu further revealed that the traditional ruler of Adakam autonomous community, Eze O.B. Nwokocha, 'sent somebody' who confirmed that the project was sold to the people and that the village chairman should be informed before the equipment would be dismantled.
The leadership of Umuokpo village said that Erondu did not communicate with the village council after he received the message from Eze Nwokocha, to enable the village leaders to verify the information from the traditional ruler.
“Villagers woke up about two weeks ago to witness massive vandalisation and carting away of dismembered equipment and raised the alarm. Videos of scenes within the precincts of the project site reveal dismantled and massively vandalized installations with tools such as gas cylinders and others suspected to have been used for the dismantling and dismemberment of the equipment before carting most of them away.
“More than two weeks after the village raised the alarm about this disturbing development, the community leadership has remained mute and has done nothing known to the entire Adakam community which is the host community for the government project.
“This is in spite of the further information that the 'people' also previously visited the palace accompanied by 'a lawyer' who presented some documents to the traditional ruler which they claimed was evidence that 'their company' had bought the project from the state government.
“The people of the community are in serious doubt about the genuineness of the claim by a yet-to-be-identified 'company' that the government sold to them a government water project installed at a huge cost.
“The more curious thing about this whole episode is how this 'company' could have waited for more than 8 years after the administration they claimed to have sold the project to them left office before they came to claim it,” RULAAC petition further stated.
“Could it be true that the administration of former governor Rochas Okorocha sold a government project to a private company? Who are the owners of this company? Is it also true that the current government under Senator Hope Uzodinma approved the sale of the project instead of completing it to serve the purpose that the project was conceived and initiated to serve?” the petitioner questioned.
RULAAC further stated that it was informed that the water project at Umuokpo village is one of the greater Owerri, Umuahia, Okigwe and Aba Water Schemes started by former Governor of old Imo State, Dr. Sam Onunaka Mbakwe in the 1980s which he could not complete before the Muhammadu Buhari coup which terminated the life of the republic.
“This gigantic water project initiated at a huge financial cost was intended to provide pipe-borne water to Mbaise and parts of Obowo. The project contains heavy and multi-billion Naira equipment that could not be dismantled and evacuated in one week.
“RULAAC, on behalf of the community members, calls on the NSCDC to spare no effort to unravel the truth and if they find that the claims are false- as they seriously suspect- all those responsible should be brought to book, the already stolen equipment recovered and further stealing of the remaining ones prevented,” the petition added.