Community seeks Anambra Govt’s intervention in inter-community land dispute
The Umuekpili Village, Ula-Ekwulobia in Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State has called for state government’s intervention in the protracted land dispute between the village and Obinabo Village in Nkpologwu community.
The natives, numbering at least 200, made the call on Friday, when they held a peaceful protest at the disputed land, called “Agudinanka’’.
The Chairman of the protesting village, Chief Arinze Onnebunne, alleged that their Obinabo neighbours were conniving with the state’s Boundary Commission to acquire the disputed land.
Onnebunne further alleged that the commission planned to demarcate the land in favour of Obinabo Village, in spite of a subsisting Supreme Court judgment in 2018.
He said that the judgment granted the Umuekpili Village the ownership of the land,
He said: “We believe we were not given enough opportunity to express ourselves before the commission because all our points and positions sent to them were not addressed.
“There is a Supreme Court Judgment of Feb. 16, 2018 where the five justices delivered their judgment in our favour and dismissed the argument of the Obinabo Village over the disputed land.
“The Boundary Commission no longer has business here because they are not superior to the highest court of the land,” Onnebunne said.
A former chairman of the community, Mr. Godson Anyadike, further explained that the case between the two communities spanned over 70 years.
“We were still jubilating when we suddenly heard on radio that the commission had concluded plans to come to the land with security operatives to demarcate the land.
“We believe it is the duty of government to protect lives of its citizens and not to cause crisis or lead an army to kill them.
“Anybody that now thinks he will use a cunning way to claim our land from us will have to kill us because we are ready to die on our God-given land,” Anyadike said.
Also, a Youth Leader in Umuekpili, Mr. Pius Ezeudu, urged Governor Willie Obiano to immediately wade into the matter to avert bloodshed between the two communities.
The Traditional Ruler of Ekwulobia, Igwe Emmanuel Onyeneke, expressed concerns that the matter may escalate into a full violence, if nothing was done to settle the dispute amicably.
Onyeneke said, “The dispute has been there long before I became the traditional ruler and I am aware of the Supreme Court judgment in favour of Umuekpili village.
“I know that anybody who wants to challenge the court decision must also go through the court process.
“Anything outside that is not understandable and may lead to violence,” the monarch said.
He advised the community to remain peaceful, while urging the state government to ensure fairness in resolving the matter.
Meanwhile, the Secretary of the Commission, Mr. Emmanuel Nwokoye, denied that the commission had plans to demarcate the disputed land in favour of Obinabo village.
Nwokoye said that the body only went to inspect the disputed land.
“The case was brought to us and we are already discussing it. Our plan to go there is strictly for inspection to ascertain the claims of both parties,” he said.
