By Davies Iheamnachor

ELELE — THREE Ikwerre communities, cutting across Emohua and Ikwerre Local Government Areas, Rivers State, last week, stormed the 343 Air Defence Artillery Regiment, Adaka Boro Barracks, popularly called Elele Army Barracks, in the state, in protest over alleged forceful acquisition of their land running into 500 hectares by the Nigerian military.

The three communities, Elele Alimini and Obelle claim that the Nigerian military took over the land used for agriculture without negotiation.

Siege to barracks: The aggrieved residents of the communities, who barricaded the entrance to the Elele Barracks, although dispersed soldiers later, called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prevail on the military to leave their land, which they use for agricultural purposes.

Speaking, the Chairman Council of Chiefs of Elele Alimini, who led the protest, Chief Chibuike Dike, said that the military has taken over the land owned by their host communities. Dike said that the development was affecting the agricultural activities of the people, noting that they do not have place to farm again.

•The three communities during the protest

Dike said: “The problem is that the army barracks in our land has abandoned our boundary and encroached into our land. Recently they came and started surveying a vast portion of our land that runs into hectares. They are not meant to take our land by force. If they need land, they should negotiate with the communities. They have taken over 500 hectares of land. That place is our farm land. We want them to leave our land.

Common boundary

“What they have done is affecting the farming activity of our people. We do not have any other place to do our farm work. We use those lands for farming. Now that they are forcefully taken, do we go to the heaven and farm? Let them take the area we gave to them and leave the other side. We want President Buhari and the Chief of Army Staff to intervene and call us for a roundtable meeting. We have a common boundary, but they have jumped it. There is no impact from the Army Barrack in Elele, the host communities do not benefit from them.

Soldiers flog married women: “The soldiers flog married women when they go to the farm. Let the Chief of Army staff leave our land for us. Army people are now farmers. They farm and sell cassava to the indigenes. The retired ones do not want to leave Elele again because they have vast land apportioned to them to farm here, while natives do not have space to grow their crops.” Dike, however, called on the Senate and the House of Representatives to intervene in the matter.

Women worst hit: The women leader of Elele Alimini, Mrs. Cecilia Woka, told NDV: “We are crying because of our land. The Army has taken over our land. We do not have space to farm again. We can no longer sell the agricultural produce that we are known for before because we do not have land to farm again. Women are must affected because sometimes Army men flog us in the farm. “We are now dying of poverty, we can no longer pay our children school fees, we want the president to come to our aid, we do not have an area to farm again.”

They’re frightening us: Similarly, representative from Elele Okaniali town, Chief Ibe Dimkpa, said: “The government has encroached far beyond the boundary of the land we gave to them. Our women are no more farming. Before we farm on our land now we must first of all obtain a permit from the army before we farm, it is a bad experience. “