Tension in Ebonyi community over land tussle
Youths of Agu Obodo 11 Community in Ishielu Local Government Area of Ebonyi state have raised the alarm over alleged threats to the life of the President General of the community, Mr. Stephen Agbom and his family members over a land dispute.
A community leader of Agu Obodo 1, Mr. Nick Eke said he bought the disputed land from the original owner, Mr. Michael Ebia.
But, in a petition addressed to Nick Eke by the counsel to the Agu Obodo 11 Youth Assembly, Ogochukwu Onyekwuluje, the group alleged threats to the life of the President General of Agu Obodo 11 Community, Mr. Stephen Agbom and his family members by the buyer.
The counsel in the petition, noted that he has the instructions of his clients to inform Mr. Eke that he was trespassing on the portion of land, which he claims was sold to him by a community member.
He said: “We have been consulted by Comrade Chidiebere Itumo and Jonathan Nwali Ejike, who are the President General of Agu Obodo 11 Youth Assembly for and on behalf of the youth assembly and we shall herein refer to the youth assembly of Agu Obodo 11 as our client.
“It’s the instruction of our clients that sometime in May, 2019, you started trespassing on a portion of the community’s land on the pretence that the land was sold to you by a member of the community.
“Some days back, you led some youths of Agu Obodo 1 to Agu Obodo 11 to threaten the youths and elders of the community. You were also sending text messages threatening the President General of the community, Mr. Stephen Agbom and members of his family.”
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In his reaction, Mr. Eke said the land was not a community land as claimed by the youths, but a land he legitimately bought from the owner, Mr. Ebia.
He said that the actions of the group was condemnable and surprising, questioning why it’s his own portion of the land that is been disputed out of the other five persons who bought land from the same person.
Eke lamented how some persons from the village mobilized and destroyed his plantation and drove away his labourers with guns in spite of all his efforts for the peaceful resolution of the matter.
However, he said the acclaimed threatening text messages were few messages he sent to the President General of Agu Obodo 11, Mr. Stephen Agbom appealing to him to intervene and calm his people down.
He assured that he would continue to explore avenues to amicable resolve the matter.
