Residents of Amaibo Nguru in Ngor Okpala Local Government Area on Monday 13th July staged a massive peaceful protest against ongoing borrow pit mining in their village , citing widespread ecological destruction and threats to agriculture and public safety.
The protest saw women, youths, and men turn out in large numbers. They marched through major roads of Amaibo Nguru to the borrow pit site with placards that read “Amaibo Nguru In unison say No to Borrow Pit Mining in our Community” and “We need factories not Borrow Pit.”
The demonstrators said the indiscriminate excavation of soil has created deep gullies, destroyed their farmlands, and leaving the village vulnerable to erosion and food insecurity.
Addressing journalists during the protest, Elder Ethel Ekechi, Chairman of the Amaibo Nguru Elders Council, condemned the activity as destructive to the community’s heritage.
Also speaking, Mr. Adolphus Anorue, Chairman of Amaibo Nguru Village, praised the unity of the people and called for those mining the borrow pit to discontinue .
The protesters later moved to the palace of their traditional ruler, HRH Eze Dr. Eme Njoku, Eze Udo II of Nguru/Umuowa Autonomous Community, to formally present their grievances. Village leaders briefed the monarch on the scale of the destruction and sought his royal intervention with government authorities.
Receiving the delegation, HRH Eze Njoku commended the peaceful conduct of the protest and promised to take the matter up with the appropriate authorities. He urged the residents to remain calm as efforts are made to address the issue.
