PHOTO: Major Speaker and Advocacy/Public Affairs Consultant to the Communities , Dr Sam Amadi. Spokesperson of Mbaishii , Dr.Ugo Jim-Nwoko , Barrister Armstrong Ukwuoma , Mr Ndubuisi Eke, and Mr Aaron Okereafor
The Mbaishii people of Imo State have leveled serious accusations against the Zion Ministry and its leader, Evangelist Ebuka Obi, over what they describe as an “economic genocide” involving the forceful takeover of 30,000 hectares of farmland.
Speaking to journalists at a press briefing in Abuja, the Mbaishii People’s Assembly described how farmlands cultivated during the 2024 farming season were bulldozed and destroyed under the protection of heavily armed Nigerian military and police personnel.
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The crops destroyed include cassava, yams, potatoes, vegetables, plantains, and other essential food staples, all grown on lands that have provided sustenance for generations. The destruction reportedly included poultry and piggery farms, palm and plantain plantations, and other economic investments crucial to the agrarian communities.
Elders, youth leaders, and women expressed their anguish, recounting scenes of children and mothers watching helplessly as bulldozers ravaged crops. They condemned the Imo State Government for what they see as a handover of community land to a religious body under false pretenses and in defiance of legal rulings.
“This is not development. This is a systemic annihilation of our livelihood,” a spokesperson declared, urging the international community to recognize the situation as a human rights crisis.
They argued that even if the land acquisition had followed due process (which they insist it did not), reallocating the land to a private ministry for religious and profit-making purposes invalidates any public interest justification.
Calling on the federal government, human rights organizations, and international watchdogs, the communities demanded an independent investigation into the actions of both the state government and Zion Ministry, and immediate steps to stop what they call an orchestrated economic and social extermination.
This assault on our economic base has all the features of a genocide. A silent, systematic erasure of a people’s means of survival,” the spokesperson said.
The Mbaishii communities called on President Bola Tinubu, the Chief of Army Staff, and the Inspector-General of Police to immediately order the withdrawal of security forces from their lands and halt what they described as “executive lawlessness.”
They also urged journalists and media houses to investigate the matter independently and bring international attention to what they described as “a blatant abuse of power, a breach of fundamental rights, and a threat to democracy.”
“This is no longer just about land. It is about the soul of justice, the dignity of human life, and the survival of our people,” they concluded.
