Property owners within the vicinity of Ojukwu Memorial Library in Owerri, Imo state havecalled on President Muhammadu Buhari to save them from what they described as threat and intimidation by members of Ralph Uwazuruike faction of the Movement for the Actualization of Sovereign States of Biafra (MASSOB), who are bent on evicting from their houses.
The residents lamented that the MASSOB members have continued to threaten them to relocate or be evicted from their houses and appealed to the President to call Uwazuruike to order before he makes good his threat.
The embattled residents further alleged that they are worst hit on the 30th day of every month which is usually Uwazuruike’s meeting day as all manners of strange faces will be wandering around the gates of their houses, causing anxiety in the area.
247ureports.com gathered that Uwazuruike insist that all the land and buildings within the vicinity of the Ojukwu Memorial Library which now serve as the headquarters of his MASSOB faction, belong to the organization and has warned property owners in the area to accept compensation and relocate.
Uwazuruike’s plan, according to the residents, is to sack all property owners in the area and extend his dream empire as far as the two sides of the road and to the precincts of the Nekede zoo.
Sources told our correspondent that the factional MASSOB leader has offered to pay the property owners between N5m to N10m for a storey building, most of which have adjoining boys’ quarters, to enable them relocate.
According to a resident, Nnadi who refused to disclose his full names for fear of victimization, “We are living in fear in this area, Ralph Uwazuruike and his boys have vowed to evict all property owners around the Ojukwu Memorial Library that the place is a government house which nobody will be allowed to live closer to. They have been threatening us to accept to be compensated and relocate or they will force us out of our property soon.
“We are calling on President Muhammadu Buhari to come to our aid and call order Uwazuruike to order. His boys have continued to molest us that we will be forced out if we refused to relocate. The situation here is terrible; you can come back home from work and see strange face near your residence. We have reported severally to the Police, but it seems that they are helpless. The more we report to the Police, the more daring they become in their intimidation. As Nigerian citizens, don’t we have right to own property anywhere? Is this how we are going to be treated if we get Biafra?”
Attempts to get Uwazuruike’s reaction did not yield fruit as he dropped a call put on his mobile number when our correspondent introduced himself and his mission.
The factional MASSOB leader’s phone later kept ringing without response while two text messages sent to elicit his reaction were unanswered as the time of filing this report.
