Women from three villages of Amaidi Amanyanwu and Onuzo in Imobi autonomous community, Uturu, Abia State, on Tuesday staged a peaceful protest within the community over alleged attempts by some individuals to take control of granite deposits located on their ancestral land.
The women, who identified themselves as farmers, alleged that individuals from one of the villages were seeking to appropriate the granite resources without due process. They claimed that the traditional ruler of Imobi autonomous community, Eze Simeon Chukwuemeka, was neither aware of nor had authorized any such takeover.
According to the protesting women, allowing a small group of individuals to control resources meant for the entire community would worsen poverty levels and undermine collective welfare.
Speaking on behalf of the women, Mrs Florence Uka, Mrs Nene Orieji and Uwakwe Nkechi stressed the need for an Environmental Impact Assessment EIA to be conducted before any granite drilling or blasting activities commence, in order to assess and prevent potential hazards.
“If the stones are being drilled, there could be hazards and it will affect us the more. There are those that have cassava, plantain and yam farmlands, and they could be affected economically and health wise if nothing is done now,” Nkechi said.
The women emphasized that their protest was peaceful and appealed to Governor Alex Otti to intervene and address the situation before it escalates.
Also speaking on the matter, the Secretary General of the Imobi Progressive Union, Adindu Kalu, who represented the traditional ruler, Eze Simeon Chukwuemeka, called on the Abia State government to stop what he described as the hijacking of communal resources by a few individuals.
“Some people went to Abuja and signed a consent letter inviting a company to the community, without the knowledge and consent of the Eze,” he said.
