The ownership tussle over the former premises of Imo State Polytechnic, Orlu campus, has taken a dramatic legal turn as four communities in Orlu Autonomous Community—Umuire, Eluama, Ndiowerre, and Ndikabia—have taken the Imo State Government and the Catholic Diocese of Orlu to court in a bid to reclaim their ancestral land.
The communities, represented in Suit No: HOR/48/2025 by Chijioke Odogwu, Venatius Nnuyi, and Hon. Elijah P.N. Uzomba, are seeking a judicial declaration of rightful ownership of the land where the now-relocated Polytechnic once stood.
In a statement of claim filed by their legal counsel, N.O. Chukwuezi, the plaintiffs recounted that between 1945 and 1946, Irish missionaries were welcomed into their community and offered a portion of land known as Uhu Agu to build what became Bishop Shanahan College (BSC), managed by the Marist Brothers.
The plaintiffs stated that years later, the same missionaries requested additional land opposite BSC for a temporary Teacher Training College. However, this time, the land was not donated outright. Instead, the communities granted conditional occupancy, under an agreement that rent would be paid annually through the local traditional rulers. This practice, according to the claim, continued until the Nigerian Civil War disrupted operations in 1967.
Following the war, the premises were occupied by the Nigerian Army and later taken over by the government of the then East Central State, which assumed control of all schools, including BSTC. The property later evolved into a campus of Alvan Ikoku College of Education, and subsequently housed several government programs—including the Technical Skills Acquisition Centre (TESAC) and eventually, the Orlu campus of Imo State Polytechnic.
The plaintiffs alleged that the government, during these transitions, expanded into adjoining lands belonging to the communities and erected a perimeter wall around the site without due consultation or compensation.
“In 1982, the government returned Alvan Ikoku College of Education to Owerri and converted the premises for TESAC, later TESAI. Under Governor Rochas Okorocha, it became a campus of the Polytechnic, which the present administration has now moved to Omuma, leaving the land unoccupied,” they stated.
They expressed dismay that, despite the land becoming vacant, the state government allegedly handed it over to the Catholic Diocese of Orlu without notifying or consulting the original landowners.
“The government and the former occupant no longer have any use for the land and therefore lack the authority to transfer ownership to any third party,” the plaintiffs argued.
The case is expected to test long-standing historical claims and legal precedents concerning community land rights and government use of ancestral lands. A court date is yet to be announced.
