People of Umuenu in Umuawulu community, Awka South, 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 that they insisted that they 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.
He pointed out that in a petition signed by the President and Secretary of Umuenu Umuawulu, Nze Okoye Godwin and Mr. Nwafor Tochukwu, respectively, they 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 that she was surprised that someone that signed witness for another now claims to be the owner of the land.
Also speaking,vChief Johnson Anazonwu Nwafor who is 88 years, stated that as a child, he was cultivating on the land with his father, and therefore, knows everywhere there, adding that if not that it is a peaceful village, there would have been blood shed because of the land.
Another speaker, Mrs Roseline Adobe, a widow, added that she cultivated yam, cassava, among others on the land, but that the other party destroyed all her crops, and also seized her hoe and, knife, and lamented that the land is the only place she feeds her children from.
According to Mrs Susan Nwaeke Ogbunike, alleged that as they were farming on the land, some people came, chased them away, leveled all her farm, destroyed all the crops, which made her BP to rise, and therefore, appealed to government to look into the matter.
Another widow, Mrs Chinwendu Nwanaka, said she was on her way to get something from her farm when someone told her that everything they cultivated were destroyed, including yam, cassava, cocoyam, which turned out to be true and she started shedding tears as she could not get help anywhere.
Kpakpando Radio had earlier reported that Anambra State Government had expressed resolve to settle the boundary disputes among communities in the State including the land dispute between Umuawulu and Awgbu communities
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