By Ben Duru / SS/SE Bureau Chief
The acquisition of over 250 plots of land belonging to the people of Ogwe in Umuankwonta, Ukwa West Local Government Area of Abia State for the establishment of the biggest poultry farm in the East of the Niger, is now tearing the community apart.
The discovery of alleged fraudulent activities that transpired in the land sale has caused the community to vow to throw the poultry company out of the community and ensure that proceeds from the sale of the land were properly accounted for before there would be peace.
The poultry farm alleged to belong to former Minister of Power and proprietor of Geometric Power, Prof Barth Nnaji, was said to have been sold by some indigenes of the community without the consent of those entrusted to do so by the people.
Trouble erupted when the community called a general meeting to review the transaction during which it was uncovered that those that negotiated the deal short-changed the community to the tune N50,000 on each plot of the 250 plots.
Following the inability of the negotiators, which included executive members of the kindred forum, to properly account for the transaction, the expanded kindred forum sacked the executive members and established a new team headed by Uchenna Umunna to look into all the transaction and bring unity back to the area.
Speaking shortly after the inauguration of the new executive, a visibly angry prominent son of Umuankwonta, Engr. Eric Nwankwo, expressed disappointment with Geometric for allegedly displaying irresponsibility and called on it to make peace through transparent transaction.
Also speaking, other prominent sons of the community, including Engr. Chidi Opurum, Engr. Orji Ugiri, Sir Esiaba Iwezor and Ngozi Ugiri, among others decried the hurried nature the transaction was concluded without allowing for consultations.
They regretted that that the matter was worsened by the former Power Minister presenting a surrogate company, thereby subjecting the community to a third party, saying such action would not be tolerated by the community.
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