No fewer than 50 women from Nimo community in Njikoka local district of Anambra State yesterday marched to the Abagana Police station in protest of an alleged sale of a portion of land of Assumpta Catholic Church, Nimo.

The women said the parcel of land in contention was assigned to NITEL by the church in the early 1970s, but upon the liquidation of the communication outfit; one Elochukwu surfaced from nowhere and began to claim ownership of the property. The protesting women carried placards of various inscriptions, saying, “Give us back our land”, “The Land Belongs To Assumption Catholic Church, Nimo, “We gave to NITEL for a public purpose, now that NITEL no longer exists, we need our land back”.

Addressing newsmen on the issue, erstwhile National Public Relations Officer of Nimo town union and a member Parish Pastoral Council of the church, Mr Lawrence Anakwe, said the land in question was given to NITEL for public purpose, noting that it was given on a friendly ground. He added that it was agreed that the land would return to the church any time NITEL would discontinue usage. He said “now that NITEL is defunct, we want our land back. The community gave the land to the Church and the Church in turn gave it to NITEL for official use.

‘You can see the women are protesting. Entire Nimo indigenes both at home and in the diaspora are solidly behind them. “We cannot allow anybody to short-change us. One Elochukwu from Nimo brought one fake document saying that he has purchase the land from NITEL. “We approached him to steer clear from the land, he refused. Even the President General of the town, Sir Anthony Egboka, had asked him to leave the land, but he refused.

“He claimed he bought the land from NITEL but that’s not true. How can NITEL sell what that does not belong to it? Also speaking, the former secretary general of Nimo town Union, Sir Tony Eke, called on Anambra State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Hosea Karma to intervene. Addressing the women, the Divisional Crime Officer of the area, who stood in for the Abagana Divisional Police Officer, assured the women that proper investigation would be carried on the matter with a view to ascertaining the truth. He said the matter was already before the Commissioner of Police who had directed investigation on the issue.