The people of Opuoma community in Ohaji/Egbema local government area of Imo State, have accused an indigenous oil firm, Sterling Global Resources Limited, of forcefully taken over their land and properties without paying compensation.
Acting Paramount Ruler of the community, Prince Kingsley Eso Ikenyiri, in a statement made available to LEADERSHIP Weekend in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the company has deliberately refused to attend to the demands of the people of the community.
Ikenyiri said: “These abominable acts exhibited by Sterling Global Oil Resources Limited is clearly with suspected fraudulent undertone, as I, in my capacity as the acting paramount ruler of the relevant community had written to the Managing Director of the said company in Lagos and to the Base Manager in Port Harcourt, in my letters dated October 5, 2022 and October 31, 2022, respectively, on the menaces.
“Our community’s attorney, Economic and Logistics Services Limited, equally wrote to same persons in it’s letter dated November 30, 2022, which the said company had failed, refused or neglected to respond to any of the letters, some of which were sent directly to the said company by hand and duly acknowleged by the company’s relevant staff.
“Furthermore, Sterling Global has strangulated and still strangulating our people economically and has refused up till date to show evidence of it’s entry into our community, it’s intentions, intended duration, authority with which it destroyed our communal properties, copy of it’s valuation report for our communal properties which it abnormally destroyed and which has been demanded and evidence of it’s Umu Iyasa Attach land lease or purchase if any at all, including any of it’s transactional evidences with Umu Iyasa Attach/Opuoma community and had equally refused to pay for our communal properties destroyed, among others.”
The acting paramount ruler also accused the oil firm of refusing to disclosed who it transacted with on behalf of the community, pointing out that there are suspicion that the company is planning to hurriedly finish it’s job in the community and abscond without fulfilling it’s statutory obligations to Opuoma community.
Ikenyiri said: “The company wants to deny us our host community’s rights and have continued to dishonour our demands to negotiate with the community through the only legitimate channel for our accountability.
“Also, Sterling Global is suspected to be planning to hurriedly finish it’s job and abscond without fulfilling it’s statutory obligations to Opuoma community.”
