Land Acquisition Saga: Ngor Okpala Youths Back Ebuka Obi …Say Zion Ministry has transformed the area

ThankGod EMEH…

The youths of Eziama, Ntu, Ikem, Alatia, and Amala villages of Mbaisii Autonomous Communities in Ngor Okpala Local government area of Imo State on Tuesday June 3, 2025 took to the streets in the locality to protest against the jaundiced reports making rounds in the media that the Founder of Zion Prayer Ministry, Evangelist Ebuka Obi has taken thirty hectares of their ancestral farmlands through the state government for personal aggrandizement.

The youths in their numbers from the six villages with placards such as “Anyone Fighting Mbaisii Development, May Heaven close His Door against them”, “Zion Ministry has made Ngor Okpala great”, “Say No to Cowards who live in Abuja and do not care to develop Ngor Okpala” as well as “Zion Ministry has come to stay” stressed that the falsehoods were baseless as the land have been acquired by Imo State government far back as 2003 with compensations duly paid to the land owners.

They however dissociated themselves from the counterclaims of Dr Sam Amadi and cohorts that the government-acquired lands are their ancestral farmlands and do not have any other area to farm on, adding that most of them who were already grown-up males in 2003 got shares of the compensation of about Nineteen Thousand Naira (N19,000) alongside their fathers.

Addressing newsmen, a youth from Alatia community confirmed being a partaker in the compensation and urged the general public not to give credence to the adulterated claims of the people who have never supported them or even attracted development to the area.

Chikezie stressed that whenever a transaction between government and the people reaches payment of compensation as was duly paid, even to him means that proper acquisition has taken place.

“Most of the people saying all these things don’t even have the knowledge of what happened and what is happening. You can’t just stay in Abuja, Lagos and begin to tell people who are on ground what is happening here”

“They just hear a rumours and run with them without any form of verification because they have the means to go to media houses…”

“There is nothing like land grabbing in this area. This is just mere allegation to paint someone black as we are the land owners and we have our representatives here”

Speaking also, a youth from Ikem village, Engr Anaele Chiemela said the essence of the protest is to reassure Zion Ministry that the land owners are solidly behind them for what they are doing.

“Everything flying over the social media is the handwork of mischievous people who want to debase what God is doing for the people of Mbaisii Autonomous Community.

“Zion Ministry has come to stay and I know when government acquired this said land and if you take coordinates in any part of this land and make search, you will discover that what is written on it is Gwandon Government Reserved Area China/Imo trade zone. So this land has been acquired for over 22 years ago after a committee was formed and the processes followed to the later with compensation…

Adding his voice, the youth leader of Amala Autonomous Community, Hon. Kingsley Nwaeje noted that Zion Ministry means well for the community having transformed the area and created employment opportunities for youths in the locality in a short time.

“The entire youths of Mbaisii Autonomous Community have come to show their solidarity to Zion Ministry because the land was properly acquired by government”

He added that crime rate has drastically reduced in the locality, hence the ministry need be supported and not blackmailed by any one.

In a swift reaction, the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Barrister Enyinnaya Onuegbu disclosed that the falsehoods by Dr Amadi and his cohorts against Governor Hope Uzodimma were completely unfounded where the land in question had been acquired in 2003 but due to shortfalls of agreements with previous administrations and investors failed develop the area until the systematic intervention of the Governor which brought the huge Zion investment.

Barrister Onuegbu stressed that the blackmails were only religious and politically motivated because the land acquisition was duly transacted with proof of payments made by the government to the land owners and their Attorneys fully documented.

Onuegbu however called on investors to come to the state and invest because the state is safe and viable for investments.