How Ex- Senate President,  Ayim Pius Ayim, Others, Aided By DPO Of Ivo Divisional Police Station Grabbed Our Land, Community Writes Ebonyi Police Commissioner

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A former Nigerian Senate President, Anyim Pius Anyim, and others have been dragged to the police by Ovumnte community in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State over alleged forceful takeover and destruction of economic farmlands, their only means of livelihood.

The community has already taken to peaceful protest to make the Nigerian government aware of its plight.

In a petition to the state commissioner of police, the Ovumnte community alleged that the former senate president was using his personality powers alongside DPO of the Ivo Divisional Police Station, Mr. Daniel Nwonu to forcefully takeover the Ovumnte-Amagu lands in Ishiagu, in the area.

The community appealed to the Commissioner of Police to prosecute the culprits, including  Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim, Chinedu Nicholas Make, Peter Ajah, Livinus Ukah, Godfrey Anyim, and others, who are currently violating the orders of the High Court in Suit No: HSK/6/2020 by destroying their farms including crops, palm trees, and other economic trees, which are their only means of livelihood in line with the applicable criminal laws of Nigeria.

They are also appealing that unprofessional acts/conducts of Mr. Daniel Nwonu C. as DPO should be investigated and appropriate sanctions applied to him.

While calling for his removal as DPO of the Ivo Police Division as his continued stay does not guarantee the safety of their lives and properties.

The Save Our Souls” (SOS) petition submitted on 23rd, June 2020 at Office of the Commissioner of Police, Ebonyi State Police was taken out on the criminal grounds of “FORCIBLE ENTRY, WILLFUL/MALICIOUS DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY, DISOBEDIENCE TO THE ORDER OF THE COURT, ASSAULT/INDECENT ASSAULT, ASSAULT OCCASIONING HARM, ABUSE OF PUBLIC OFFICE,  UNLAWFUL ARREST/FALSE IMPRISONMENT, AND CONDUCT LIKELY TO CAUSE A BREACH OF PEACE”.

A part of the petition states that: “Sometime in the month of January 2020, Messers: Anyim Pius Anyim (the former Senate President of the FRN), Chinedu Nicholas Make, Peter Ajah, Livinus Ukah, Godfrey Anyim, and others, forcibly entered and embarked on the destruction of our farms (including our crops, palm trees, and other economic trees, and houses) at our Ovumnte-Amagu lands in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.

Following the said destruction, we instituted Suit No: HSK/6/2020 at the High Court of Ebonyi State, against the above-named persons.

Consequently, the court ordered that the status quo should be maintained by the parties to the suit pending the determination of the suit.

However, since the 9th day of June 2020 even till the date of writing this petition, the above-named persons have, in defiance to the said Order of the Court, forcibly returned to our said lands and continued the destruction of the remaining parts of our farms (including our crops, palm trees, and other economic trees thereon).

“We have run to the incumbent Divisional Police Officer SP Daniel Nwonu C. who is in charge of the Ivo Police Division, to whom we complained about the said acts of Forcible Entry and Willful/Malicious Destruction of our farms, but unfortunately to us, the above-named culprits have bought over the SP Daniel Nwonu C. of D.P.O.

“And therefore, rather than intervening in the situation to stop the acts of willful/malicious destruction of our said farms, the SP Daniel Nwonu C. of D.P.O who is a tenant to the said Anyim Pius Anyim, and who has sold his said office and conscience to the culprits, joined forces with the culprits to perpetrate numerous acts of intimidation and inhumanity against us, which acts of intimidation/inhumanity include but not limited to: desperate man-hunt, unlawful arrest, torturing and detention of some of us whose farms are being destroyed by the culprits”.

Read The Full Petition Below:

Earlier on the evening of 15th June, 2020, members of the Ovumnte community had complained to the DPO in charge of the Divisional Police Post in Ivo LGA, Mr. Daniel Nwonu, that their farms and lands were being destroyed by Pius Anyim and others in disobedience to the preservative orders of the High Court in Suit No:  HSK/6/2020, and pleaded with him to stop the destruction.

The DPO vehemently refused to act or even investigate the matter and told members of the Ovumnte community that the Police does not interfere in land matters even if properties are being maliciously destroyed and that they should go to Court and get another injunction.

When members of the community pressed him, he told them that the matter regarding the land has been taken before a High Court of the FCT by Pius Anyim and that he cannot handle an Abuja matter.

Mr. Daniel Nwonu’s employment in the Police force and his transfer to Ivo LGA is said to have been influenced by Pius Anyim.

The DPO is also a tenant of Pius Anyim and has been willing tool to be used by Pius Anyim and his thugs in dispossessing indigent land owners of the Ovumnte community.

Recall that on the morning of 15th March, 2020, the indigent land owners of Ovumnte community engaged in a peaceful protest over Chief Pius Anyim’s use of thugs and the compromised DPO and his policemen to intimidate members of the Ovumnte community. See the pictures as attached and links to the videos.

The petitioners are praying the Commissioner of Police to prosecute the culprits, including Messers: Anyim Pius Anyim, Chinedu Nicholas Makwe,Peter Ajah, Livinus Ukah, Godfrey Anyim, and others, who are currently violating the orders of the High Court in Suit No: HSK/6/2020 by destroying their farms including crops, palm trees and other economic trees, which are their only means of livelihood in line with the applicable criminal laws of Nigeria.

The petitioners are also praying that unprofessional acts/conducts of Mr. Daniel Nwonu C. as DPO should be investigated and appropriate sanctions applied on him and that as a matter of urgency, Daniel Nwonu C. should be removed as DPO of the Ivo Police Division as his continued stay does not guarantee the safety of their lives and properties.

It is possible that there will be a mass arrest and detention of Ovumnte Community members by Pius Anyim in response to this petition against him.

The Police for reasons best known to them have preferred to arrest persons who complained against the criminal acts of Pius Anyim and his thugs in respect of the Ovumnte land grab case.

For examples, Pius Anyim sponsored Police Men from Abuja who unlawfully arrested and detained Sir Moses Orji and his wife on 5th February, 2020 and further transferred the criminal complaint made by Sir Moses Orji over the destruction of his farm at the Ebonyi State C.I.D to Abuja in order to prevent the continuation of investigation into the criminal case (See: complainant-turns-accused-as-Anyim-use-police-to-arrest-man-who-accused-him-of-land-grabbing-destruction-of-farmland/ [1]).

On 16th June, 2020, Mr. Friday Ovia, a witness who saw Pharmacist Chindeu Makwe (a Pharmacist and Director with the National Health Insurance Scheme and a brother of Mr. Livinus Makwe, a Member representing Ohaozara/Ivo in the Federal House of Representatives) physically assault Mrs Orji on 12th June, 2020 was arrested on a trumped charge after an incriminating material was planted in front of his house.

On 17th June, 2020, Mrs Orji herself was arrested and detained by Police men from Abakaliki after she had complained to the Police about Pharmacist Chindeu Makwe’s assault on her person.

Source: Pointblank news

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