The people of Imeh Community in Igbo Etche, Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, through their legal representatives, The Voice Attorneys, have appealed to the Executive Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalaye Joseph Fubara, to intervene in the kidnapping of five youths from their community by armed land grabbers.

In a letter addressed to the Governor dated April 3, 2024, the lawyers stated that the armed land grabbers, purporting to act on behalf of the Rumukurushi and Eneka communities in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, invaded the ancestral farmland of the Imeh Community in January 2024. The land grabbers allegedly graded off unharvested farm produce, beat up people, and chased them out of the land.

Following the incident, the Imeh Community sent a delegation to verify the report on March 1, 2024. During this visit, the armed land grabbers apprehended five able-bodied youths from the delegation: Mr. Chima Nwaka, Mr. Jonathan Ekwulo Agbagbuo, Mr. Sunday Amadi, and Mr. Nmachi Ukonwa. The kidnapped youths have not been seen since the incident.

The lawyers, Augustine Omeke, Esq., and Gift Agbagbuo, Esq., senior partners at The Voice Attorneys, appealed to the Governor to deploy his executive office to secure the release of the kidnapped youths, in order to prevent a situation where the Imeh Community might take the law into their own hands. They cited the recent Okuama incident in Delta State, where the country lost some of its gallant soldiers due to a land tussle between two communities, as a cautionary tale.

The lawyers emphasized that the Imeh Community is part of the Governor’s citizenry in Rivers State and is entitled to his love, care, and protection. They await the Governor’s consideration of their request and have also copied the National Human Rights Commission in Abuja.

The kidnapping incident has raised concerns about the safety and security of communities in Rivers State, particularly in the face of land disputes.

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