By CHARLES IWUOHA

The leadership of Mbaishii Youths Association (MYA) has condemned in unequivocal strong terms the alleged unwarranted and illegal arrests, physical assault, and systemic harassment meted out to the people of the area by officers of the Imo State Police Command following the land dispute between Mbaishii community and Zion Ministry.

In a statement issued Thursday, the President, Kelechi Onyeike, and Secretary, Osinachi Okere on behalf of MYA described as shocking, the disrespect for traditional authority, by the Police Command on the alleged orders of Evangelist Ebuka Obi, founder of Zion Prayer Movement Outreach.

The group remarked that detaining the royal father of Eziama Autonomous Community, HRH Eze Hyacinth Nwamadi, Nma II of Eziama Ancient Kingdom, amounts to a brazen violation of his human rights and traditions of the area.

“This desecration of our traditional institution was accompanied by a brutal night raid on August 16, 2026. Police officers invaded our community and abducted a young man who had just concluded his wedding ceremony earlier that day, having recently returned from Ghana.

“This newlywed groom was dragged out of his home merely hours after exchanging vows, robbed of his honeymoon, and forced to spend his first night of marriage in a police cell.

“When Mr. Chikezie, a concerned community member, questioned the lawfulness of the operation, he was violently assaulted and taken into custody alongside a minor under 18 years of age.

“As the police convoy departed through Eziama, officers fired indiscriminately into the air, causing widespread terror while seizing more youths who were peacefully going about their business.

“Credible reports confirm that this wave of repression stems from a petition submitted to the State Command regarding the alleged destruction of a fence at the site of Evangelist Ebuka Obi’s Zion Ministry in Mbaishii.

“This same dispute previously led to the tragic killing of Okechukwu Nwafor, who was shot dead in his hometown last year and is yet to be buried,” the group said.

Onyeike and Okere warned that the peaceful disposition of the people should not be mistaken for weakness, emphasizing that the youths and leaders of Mbaishii have consistently chosen restraint and legal channels to seek justice.

“Peace is not weakness. Our peace-loving nature must not be taken for granted. We call for fair settlement. The people of Mbaishii are naturally accommodating. We simply request that Evangelist Ebuka Obi and the Zion Prayer Movement Outreach amicably settle with the host landowners rather than relying on police harassment.

“We demand the immediate release of HRH Eze Hyacinth Nwamadi, the newlywed groom, Mr. Chikezie, the minor, and all other unlawfully detained youths.

Intimidating our people and desecrating our traditional leadership will only deepen the crisis.

“If these arrests and hostilities do not cease immediately, the community will be forced to seek alternative means to defend our rights—a path that may ultimately prove inconvenient for both parties,” they submitted.

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