Imo Community Warns CUDOC MD To Vacate Land Or Face Consequences
The residents of Umuoyima Autonomous Community in Owerri Municipal Council of Imo State on Thursday December 11, 2025 conducted a protest rally to express their disapproval of what they perceive as the forcible acquisition of their land at Ugwumiri Okpo Otamiri Belt by Chief Chinedu Chukwuonye, Managing Director of CUDOC Construction Company Limited.
The protest, involving over 200 residents, featured placards with various messages condemning Chief Chukwuonye’s actions and urging the administration of Senator Hope Uzodimma to intervene.
Among the messages displayed were: “CODUC Is A Land Grabber,” “CODUC Must Adhere to the 35-Meter River Agreement,” “CODUC Claims Government Authorization for Land Acquisition,” and “Government, We Cannot Breathe.”
Elder Charles Ucheoma, the spokesperson for the community, issued a warning to Chief Chukwuonye to cease encroaching on their land.
Elder Ucheoma, who serves as the Secretary of the Community’s Elders Council, disclosed that the community had paid over N4 Million into the government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) for the land to be allocated to them.
He revealed that Chief Chukwuonye was granted 35 meters of land from the Otamiri Rivers but seeks to claim the entire stretch, including the community’s portion.
According to Elder Ucheoma, the community had requested that the CODUC Managing Director respect their portion of the land, even going so far as to demarcate it with palm fronds and a fence.
He expressed regret that the construction company leader not only demolished their fence and removed the palm fronds but also destroyed their economic trees and crops.
The Secretary of the Elders Council stated that they resorted to performing traditional rites, symbolically pronouncing Chief Chukwuonye deceased if he persists in forcibly taking over their land.
He explained that the land was allocated to them in 2021 by the current administration of Senator Hope Uzodimma during Barr Enyinnaya Onuegbu’s first tenure as Commissioner for Lands, Survey, and Physical Development.
Elder Ucheoma revealed that the first government official who attempted to dispossess them of the land was Deputy Speaker Hon. Amara Chyna Iwuanyanwu, who eventually relinquished his claim after the community presented their case to the government.
Additionally, two concerned individuals, Mr. Ikechukwu Nze and Mrs. Fidelia Uzoma, appealed to the state government to persuade Chief Chukwuonye to desist from encroaching on the community’s land.
According to them, this land is the only remaining parcel for the community after much of their land had been acquired by the government.
They rely on it for farming to support their children’s education.
Mrs. Uzoma described the situation as absurd, noting that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, which they had supported, appears indifferent while a single individual exploits his power and wealth to dispossess the community of their remaining land.
