Anambra Community Protests Land Encroachment Despite Supreme Court Judgement ..Urges State Govt. To Intervene
People of Umuenu in Umuawulu community, Awka South LGA, Anambra State, at the weekend at their community hall, protested alleged encroachment on their ancestral land called Agu Udo/Agu Ofu Land, by a neighbouring community, Abo Ani Awgbu.
Some of the protesters carried placards with inscriptions such as, “Governor Soludo come to our rescue, Abo Ani encroached on our land, we have supreme court judgment in our favour on the land, Soludo intervene before they take over our land, we have no other land where we cultivate except the disputed land”, among others.
Addressing newsmen during the protest, the spokesperson of the protesters and former Chairman of Umuenu Amuawulu community, Chief Humphrey Obi, recalled how the land dispute started and how they won all the three court cases.
He said that not being satisfied with the three court judgments, the Abo Ani people proceeded to the State Boundary Commission and demanded for the demarcation of the disputed land.
Chief Obi said, “At the Commission we insisted that we are the owner of the land and also believe that the judgment of the Supreme court should be adhered to since it is still an extant law.
In a petition signed by the President and Secretary of Umuenu Umuawulu, Nze Okoye Godwin and Mr. Nwafor Tochukwu, respectively the people urged State Government to rather invite the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to interprete the implication of disobeying court order.
Among those that spoke during the protest include .. Tochukwu Okoye, aged 94 years, who said, “I am surprised that someone that signed witness for another now claims to be the owner of the land, let’s just think twice. I am calling on Soludo as a peaceful man to intervene in this situation.”
Also speaking, Chief Johnson Anazonwu Nwafor, 88 years, stated, “I was cultivating with my father in that land when I was a child, I know everywhere there. We have no case with Enugwu in that land only Awgbu people. Our village is a peaceful village otherwise, there would have been blood shed on that land due to what they are doing to us”.
Narrating her ordeal, Mrs Roseline Adobe, a widow, added, “I cultivated yam, cassava, among other crops, but they destroyed all my crops, seized my hoe and knife. That is the only place I feed my children from.”
According to Mrs Susan Nwaeke Ogbunike, “They stormed the farm where we are cultivating, chased us away, levelled all my farm, destroyed all my crops and as a result of that my BP rose which I am still suffering uptill today. Governor Soludo, we are calling you to come and help us”.
Mrs Chinwendu Nwanaka, a widow said, “I was on my way to get something from my farm and someone told me that all we cultivated were destroyed, yam, cassava, cocoyam, when I got there I couldn’t get anything, I started shedding tears that no one could help”.
Kpakpando Radio had earlier reported that Anambra State Government had expressed resolve to settle the boundary disputes among communities including the land dispute between Umuenu village, Umuawulu and Abo Ani in Awgbu communities.
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