Noble Atulegwu, the state commissioner for lands, surveys, and physical planning and Special Advisor/ General Manager of the Imo State Housing Cooperation, Mbakwe Obi, has been suspended by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodimma.
In a statement released on Thursday in the state capital of Owerri, Cosmos Iwu, the Secretary to the State Government, stated that the two officials’ suspensions were effective immediately.
The announcement did not provide a cause for the officials’ suspension, but our correspondent remembers that Atulegwu had been at odds with numerous Owerri villages over the supposed appropriation of their communal and familial properties.
Numerous towns have objected and requested that the governor absolve him of his responsibilities.
Some even challenged Atulegwu’s behavior in court.
The statement said, “The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma, has approved the immediate suspension from the office of the Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Physical Planning, Noble Atulegwu.
“His Excellency has similarly approved the immediate suspension from office of the SA/GM Imo Housing Corporation, Mbakwe Obi.”
The spokesperson for the governor, Oguike Nwachuku, also confirmed the development when contacted by our correspondent.