Chinasa Nwaneri


Owerri, Imo State capital is still buzzing over the arrest and detention of former Special Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma on Special Duties,   Mr Chinasa Nwaneri over allegations of  fraudulent activities. Nwaneri was until his sack in November, 2023, one of Uzodimma’s most trusted aides and  had reportedly worked for  him for over fifteen years.

Nwaneri,  emerged as an untouchable , and the 'fixer'  to Gov Uzodimma during his first term, but he was picked up on Saturday by armed men  from Rockview Hotel, Owerri,  a stone throw from Imo Government House and Imo State Police Command headquarters. He was first taken to the nearby Police headquarters, returned to  Rockview where he had been resident for two years before being finally whisked  away to unknown destination. His arrest was  said to been effected by  officers of the State Investigation Bureau, SIB


The Imo Police  Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr Henry Okoye has  confirmed the arrest of  Chinasa Nwaneri over allegation of malicious damage, fraudulent activities, obtaining money under false pretence and illegal use of Government power/authority to harass, intimidate and frustrate the citizens of Imo State.

In a Statement by Okoye, the Police also arrested the President of ISAMATA and three others for aiding Nwaneri in perpetrating the alleged acts.

 Dailyledger.com.ng reports that Nwaneri was dragged to court  over alleged forceful takeover of the land known as Nkporo Farmland in Suit No: HOW/787/2023  but has been evading court service since early this year. He is  joined as defendants in the controversial land case by Governor Hope Uzodimma, Attorney General of the State, Commissioner for Lands in the State and Director, Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Planning.

In a ruling, an Imo State  High Court presided over by Justice C. N. Okereke granted  the plaintiff, the Oparaugo Ajoku Family  leave to serve the writ of summons and all other processes to  Nwaneri by substituted means.

Among other reliefs sought by the family include statutory right of occupancy over the land being the bonafide owner by reason of customary inheritance.

The family also sought a declaration of the court that the defendants cannot take over the land without payment of compensation and that the trespass into the land by the first to fourth defendants at the instigation of the fifth defendant  (Nwaneri) was illegal and unlawful.

The Ajoku family equally urged the court to nullify any sale or purported sale of the land by the defendants.

The family also prayed the court to nullify any sale or purported sale of the land by the defendants, further urged the court to award the family N500million as  general damages for trespass by the defendants and to issue an injunction restraining the defendants, their agents, privies or any one  from further trespassing into the family land.

Allegations of land racketeering and land grabbing had rocked the first term of the Uzodimma administration leading to the removal, arrest, detention and investigation of Commissioners for Land and Housing, Hon Noble Atulegwu and Lady Love Ineh respectively, and other top officials of the two ministries in November, 2023.

The ongoing investigation also led to the recent arrest and investigation of Emmanuel Ezeanochie, chairman of the Imo State Amalgamated Traders Association, ISAMATA for duping Imo traders of multi-million naira with fake promise of securing lands for them in a phantom traders estate