Abia community, monarch trade words over land theft

Indigenes of Umunenweze Okpualla community, Okaiuga Nkwoegwu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, have accused their traditional ruler, Eze Paul Uzuegbu, and village head, Ejikeme Emereuwa, of illegally encroaching on, selling and donating ancestral land despite a 2022 court judgment nullifying Uzuegbu’s Ezeship.

This is as the traditional ruler said he had appealed the judgment that removed him from the throne and denied the allegations of land grabbing.

Speaking through a communiqué during a protest at the Government House in Umuahia on Wednesday, the spokesman for the indigenes, Mr Okechukwu Uzuegbu, described the actions as “brazen lawlessness, impunity, and daylight robbery.”

He said the community’s executives, elders, landowners and residents viewed the actions as “brazen lawlessness, impunity, and daylight robbery.”

The community also referenced Suit No. HU/59/2015, in which Justice O.A. Chijioke, on March 8, 2022, reportedly declared Eze Uzuegbu’s Ezeship “null and void.”

He said, “Despite this, Eze Uzuegbu continues to parade himself as a paramount ruler, using thugs and compromised elements to forcefully take over lands in Umunenweze Okpualla.

“The land in question, located within Okaiuga Nkwoegwu, Umuahia North, is the rightful heritage of the community. But Eze Uzuegbu, in cahoots with Emereuwa, has violated property rights and threatened community peace.”

The community members stated that they had resolved during a meeting that Umunenweze Okpualla land must be returned to its rightful owners.

The communiqué read, “We demand the immediate cessation of all illegal activities by Uzuegbu, Emereuwa and their agents, including the submission of false letters and forged documents to the government claiming the community had relinquished land rights. Further trespass will be treated as deliberate incitement to chaos.

“We reject all illegal land transactions. The community warns the public, estate developers and prospective buyers that Uzuegbu and Emereuwa have no legal authority to lease, sell, donate or allocate Umunenweze land.

“We specifically cite the alleged illegal sale of a parcel known as ‘Okpuijikara’ to a construction firm. Ndukwe has refused to obey a State High Court injunction halting development pending determination of the case filed against Uzuegbu, Emereuwa, the developers and others. Anyone buying from them is ‘purchasing a costly lawsuit’ and will be treated as an accomplice to land theft.

“We call on law enforcement agencies for urgent intervention. We appeal to the Umuahia Police Command, Governor Alex Otti and the Ministry of Lands to enforce the rule of law because the actions of the deposed Eze and his cohorts risk triggering a communal crisis.”

While pledging commitment to peace and lawful conduct, the community said its peaceful disposition should not be mistaken for weakness, vowing to use every legal, traditional and social mechanism to defend its inheritance.

“We thank the Government of Abia State and members of the media for standing as the voice of the oppressed. We assure our people that not an inch of our land will be lost to a thief who wears a torn cloak of former royalty and his cohorts. We stand united, and we shall prevail,” the communiqué stated.

Addressing the protesters, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Local Government Affairs, Magdalene Ugoanusi, commended them for choosing the path of peace over violence.

She said, “I am aware that an earlier letter on this matter was sent to the Chief of Staff. I also recall that Hon. Obi Aguocha stepped in to intervene and said he would get back to you. It appears that the Chief of Staff may have been waiting on that feedback and, to my knowledge, it has not yet come.

“Given the escalation and your presence here today, I will personally contact Hon. Obi Aguocha to update him that the situation has reached another level. I will ask him to call the parties involved to order so that these actions stop.

“You did the right thing by raising this matter calmly instead of escalating it. On behalf of the government, I assure you that we will revisit the case and I will take it up directly to ensure you get an immediate response.

“Please submit a formal letter addressed to the Governor, itemising your grievances line by line. We cannot act on verbal complaints alone; we need a written record to work from.”

When contacted, Eze Uzuegbu said he had appealed the judgment that reportedly removed him from the throne, adding that the matter would come up at the Court of Appeal in Owerri on June 25.

He also denied the allegations of land grabbing levelled against him by the indigenes, adding that the land was originally donated to the government for a secondary school project.

He said, “I’m not selling any community land to any developers. The land in question was donated to the community union over 40 years ago. The union, in turn, donated the land to the government to build a secondary school.

“The Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Secondary School was built on the land, but it was later relocated to another site because of constant vandalism.

“Now the government has decided to develop the land into an estate. They came to us on a fact-finding visit, and the four traditional rulers from Okaiuga Nkwoegwu and the people supported the government’s plan to build the estate. Who am I to stop the government from developing the land that was originally donated to it over 40 years ago?”