The traditional ruler of Nimo,Igwe Maximus Ike Oliobi has responded to allegations levelled against him by his subjects, saying that the sale of Owa land in his community was a decision of the entire town reached during its national assembly meeting.
Some Nimo indigenes had staged a protest at Government House Awka over what they claimed to be the illegal sale of Owa land by the Igwe and some stakeholders in the community.
Igwe Oliobi, who went down memory lane on how the Owa land, now known as Obodo Oma, was acquired by conquest by Nimo people many years ago, made it known that Governor Chukwuma Soludo and the member representing Nimo community in the Anambra State House of Assembly were already on the land issue.
He explained that his subjects were free to cultivate on the said land, and stated that past committees set up for the land preserved it for development, dividing into two phases – A and B.
The royal father further disclosed that during their Nimo Town Development Union, NTDU, National Assembly, they reached an agreement on how the Owa land would be used, pointing out that all the money NTDU generated from the sale of some portions of the land went into NTDU purse.
He explained that as the custodian of culture, he has no business in selling any part of the community land or has hand in the money realized, pointing out that the Phase Two of the Owa land, which he said expanded to Oraukwu, was still reserved for Ndi Nimo.
He advised his subjects to exercise patience as the matter was being looked into by the appropriate authorities for a way forward.
Igwe Oliobi added that the commercial site would be developed by non-indigenes and stated categorically that he had never sold any land that belonged to the community.
He said it was purely the duty of Nimo Town Development Union, which, he said, sold some percentage of the land for infrastructural development, with the money generated going to the NTDU purse.
He also debunked the allegation that he was using security personnel to intimidate his subjects.
