Abia Women Protest ‘Granite Hijack’ as Mining Dispute Rocks Uturu

Tension flared in the Uturu region of Abia State on Tuesday morning, January 6, 2026, as hundreds of women from the Imobi autonomous community took to the streets to protest the alleged illegal takeover of their ancestral lands. The protesters, drawn from the villages of Amaidi, Amanyanwu, and Onuzo, accused a small group of individuals of attempting to bypass communal authority to seize control of lucrative granite deposits. Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the women—predominantly farmers—warned that the unauthorized mining activities threaten to plunge the community into deeper poverty and environmental ruin.

Central to the dispute is the claim that a few “powerful individuals” traveled to Abuja to sign a consent letter inviting a mining firm to the community without the knowledge or blessing of the traditional ruler. Speaking on behalf of the monarch, Eze Simeon Chukwuemeka, the Secretary-General of the Imobi Progressive Union, Adindu Kalu, confirmed that the palace had been kept in the dark. He appealed directly to the Abia State government to intervene, noting that such a “clandestine” agreement violates the traditional protocols of communal resource management and risks inciting a local crisis.

The protesting women, led by spokespersons Mrs. Florence Uka, Mrs. Nene Orieji, and Uwakwe Nkechi, highlighted the severe economic and health risks posed by unregulated granite drilling. They pointed out that their primary livelihoods—vast farmlands of cassava, plantain, and yam—are at risk of being decimated by the dust, noise, and vibration associated with heavy blasting. “If these stones are drilled without our consent, the hazards will affect us for generations,” Nkechi warned, adding that no Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) has been conducted to safeguard the area.

This burgeoning conflict comes at a time when the administration of Governor Alex Otti has placed a high premium on land security and the regulation of solid minerals to prevent community exploitation. The women issued a passionate plea to the Governor, urging him to send an investigative team to Imobi to halt any further encroachment. They argued that communal resources must benefit the entire population, rather than being “hijacked” for the private gain of a few intermediaries who do not represent the interests of the local farmers.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the protest remained peaceful, though community leaders warned that further delays in government intervention could lead to an escalation of hostilities. The “Abuja consent letter” has become a flashpoint for the villagers, who maintain that the land belongs to the people of Imobi and cannot be traded away behind closed doors. For now, the drilling machines remain idle, but the women of Uturu have vowed to remain vigilant until their farmlands are officially protected from the impending granite rush.