The people of Umuire village in Orlu Community,Orlu Local Government Area of Imo State have condemned in very strong terms, reports circulating in several quarters that the former premises of Imo State Polytechnic, Orlu Campus is being handed over to the Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Orlu without their consent.
The community, in a letter addressed to the Imo State Government through the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief COC Akaolisa, expressed disappointment that the land they willingly gave out for the purpose of building a tertiary institution for public good without being paid any compensation before the polytechnic was relocated to the Governor’s community, Omuma, in Oru East Local Government Area, is about to be clandestinely given to the Catholic church contrary to the initial agreement between the government and the community.
The letter addressed to the attorney General and commissioner of Justice of Imo State,Barr COC Akaolisa dated January, 28, 2025, and signed by Dr Paul Duruokpo, Chairman, Azuzu Osita, Secretary, Chijioke Odiogu, Youth Leader and copied to Bishop Augustine Tochukwu Ukwuoma, Catholic Bishop of Orlu and the press, reads, “we are the representatives of Umuire village, Orlu town, in Orlu Local Government Area of imo State. We have the unequivocal instruction of Umuire Community of the above address to write you as follows;
“That we were informed that the premises of Imo State Polytechnic, Orlu campus, that the state government took over from us without any compensation to build a tertiary institution for public good or public overriding interest was relocated to Omuma community, recently.
“That to our greatest chagin, the said premises without prior notice to us was handed over to the HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, ORLU without our consent. This was done in secret, thanks to the video circulating or leaked online that exposed the whole process.
“Be therefore informed that our ancestors never at any point sold the said premises or any part thereof, neither to the Catholic Church nor to the IRISH MISSIONARIES to warrant gifting the said premises to the Catholic Archdiocese of Orlu.
“This is disheartening, as it is unlawful for the Catholic Church of Orlu to lay any claim to the said premises without our consent and without any agreement reached with us. It is therefore worthy to return our said land to us WHICH WE HEREBY PRAY THE GOVERNMENT OF IMO STATE to so do.
“Furthermore, no compensation was paid to us at any point by the Imo State Government for the use of the said premises and why we kept quiet for the use of the premises by the Imo Stale Government without compensation was because the said premises was used at that time for our communal benefit or for the public overriding interest and gifting the said premises to the HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CATHEDRAL, ORLU is not for public overriding interest.
“We therefore, based on the foregoing, pray you to kindly and graciously return our said land to us if the Imo State Government is no longer interested in making use of the premises for the interest of the public”.
Meanwhile, the Catholic Archdiocese of Orlu has denied reports that it intends to use the Orlu campus of the Imo State Polytechnic as its Pastoral Center.
The spokesperson of the Archdiocese, Sir Jude Ayanugo in a statement he issued on Monday, described the report published in the media as “mischievous and misleading”. He noted that the earlier government announcement to merge the school’s campuses into a suitable location was misinterpreted.
“The Catholic Archdiocese of Orlu has never conceived nor planned converting the campus into a pastoral centre,” Ayanugo stated.
He provided historical context, explaining that the land currently occupied by the Orlu campus was donated to the Catholic Church mission by the Orlu community in 1947 for educational purposes.
Ayanugo clarified the timeline, stating that the government announcement was made on May 2, 2024, and the tabloid published the claim on the same day. He emphasized that the committee responsible for the merger has not even been inaugurated, making the claim of the Bishop converting the campus into a pastoral centre impossible.
He further stated that even if the Bishop Shanahan Teachers’ College (BSTC) were to return to the Catholic mission, it would not be used as a pastoral centre. The Archdiocese has already made arrangements for the establishment of Trinitas”.
