Over twenty years land dispute between two villages in Oba Community, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, took a drastic turn with the destruction of over fifty residential buildings and seventy fences, belonging to the people of Ezelle Mbana, Oba village and their tenants.
The land dispute between Ezelle Mbana village and Umuezegbute family, all of Oba, took the dangerous dimension with the destructions of the residential buildings and fences, belonging to Ezelle Mbana people, following two court victories awarded by both Ogbaru High Court and the Court of Appeal, Awka, Anambra State to Umuezegbute family.
According to a lawyer to Ezelle Mbana Village and their Isu Village landlord, Chief John Nso, properties worth several millions of naira were destroyed in those dwelling houses, while defenceless people were either wounded or maimed.
In a petition to the Anambra State Commissioner of Police, on behalf of his clients from Ezelle village, Chief Nso, said the horrendous wickedness, brigandage and wanton destruction of lives and properties were committed in the process of a purported execution of the judgement of a High Court in Anambra State, won by Umuezegbute family over a land dispute against Isu Village Oba and Ezelle Mbana Village, also of Oba, even when two Appeals are pending against the judgement.
The lawyer informed the police that they were planning to continue the destruction until the whole town is cleared or wiped out.
He said even in executing judgement for possession of the land, a reasonable force is only required in taking possession from the judgement debtors and not destroying and pulling down dwelling houses, maiming and wounding defenceless citizens.
However, lawyer to Umuezegbute family Oba, Mr Gerald Ezeuko, SAN, said that “Ezelle Village goofed when they went to Appeal Court to appeal against the judgement of the High Court which awarded victory in the land dispute to his clients, instead of settling with them by paying the arrears of the Customary tribute the High Court directed them to pay within thirty days.
Mr Ezeuko also claimed that the new generation of the youths in Ezelle Village, started the trouble, by selling the farmland given to them by Umuezegbute Family when they have not been paying their landlords the required approved royalty, (Customer tributes)
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