Anambra Monarch Alleges Attempt on His Life over Land Issues

David-Chyddy Eleke in Awka

The traditional ruler of Nimo community in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, His Royal Highness, Max Ike Oliobi, has alleged an attempt on his life by some of his subjects.

The monarch, who spoke to journalists in his palace at the weekend, said some hoodlums in his community were planning to kill him over land issues.

There had been protests in the community by youths, where they accused the leadership of appropriating community land to themselves.

But the monarch reacting to the allegations said the youths were being propelled by a certain powerful 30 individuals, insisting that the community met and agreed to convert the disputed land, which was acquired through conquest, to an estate for members of the community.

The monarch said: “On one occasion they sent assassins to my palace to kill me, but the killers confessed and said they could not go ahead with the plan because I was an upright man.

“Selling the land was not a decision made by me, the Owelle Nimo. Rather, the decision was taken at a general meeting at our community square and whatever decision taken at that place is binding on every indigene of Nimo.

“The traditional ruler that I succeeded discussed over this particular land, and they set up a committee and thereafter my predecessor died and the committee became moribund. So when I came on board, they came up with the same decision during their handing over to me.

“In that new Obodo-Oma Nimo estate, we have high density, medium, lower densities and executive plots. The agreement was that we should not sell to outsiders at present and the ones that we are going to sell to outsiders should be the industrial plots, because you can’t develop a community without investors from outside.

“For the industrial plots, we considered that when people buy them and build industries, 60 per cent of the employees must be indigenous to Nimo and the financial accruals have a relative impact on our market, thereby developing our town.

“In every meeting, we give them an update of revenue. I don’t receive payment alerts. My only job is the oversight function. But these hoodlums, knowing this very well, continued to be mischievous.”