Communal Land Dispute Gets Messier In Anambra As Five Octogenarians Escape Death

By Chuks Eke

Five elders of the Umuenu community, Umuawulu in Awka-South Local Government Area of Anambra state escaped death due to the ongoing Agu Udo/Agu Ofu land dispute with neighbouring Abo-Ani village of Awgbu in Orumba North Local Government Area of the state.

The escapees included Tochukwu Okoye, 94, James Anazonwu Nwafor, 88, Mrs. Roseline Adibe, a widow, Mrs. Susan Nweke, and Mrs. Chinwendu Nwanaka, all of whom were from Umuenu village in Umuawulu state.

They claimed that some armed people from Abo-Ani village in Awgbu swooped on their farmlands while they were cultivating food crops, destroyed everything, and chased them away with a stern warning that they should never step foot on the land again because it did not belong to them.

The elders, who recalled growing up and seeing their forefathers farming on the same land that the Abo-Ani people now claim, urged Governor Chukwuma Soludo to intervene.

Umuenu villagers staged a peaceful protest against illegal encroachment on their ancestral land, Agu Udo/Agu Ofu, by neighbouring Abo Ani villagers from Awgbu country, home to Governor Soludo’s Staff, Chief Ernest Ezeajughi.

Protesters accuse Ezeajughi of using his position as Soludo’s Chief of Staff and Awgbu community indigene to influence the state boundary committee Chairman, Ifeanyichukwu Ibezim, to suppress Umuenu villagers of Umuawulu in favour of Abo-Ani villagers of Awgbu.

However, Ezeajughi quickly debunked the Umuenu villagers’ allegation, describing it as very spurious.

Ezeajughi, in a press statement, denied the allegation and stated that the Deputy Governor is the Chairman of the Boundary Committee, which is responsible for investigating and resolving boundary disputes in the state.

“I am not aware of any meeting being held, nor was I a member of the team that went to inspect or demarcate the disputed land between villages in Umuawulu and another village in the Awgbu community. According to Ezeajughi, only the Deputy Governor has the authority to preside over decisions on land matters before the Anambra State Boundary Dispute Commission.

In response, Deputy Governor Ibezim stated, “I made changes to our boundary committee.” I took the time to physically visit these disputed areas and verify various claims. The Deputy Governor stated that we would be able to see every sign of demarcation, such as trees, rivers, and landmarks that keep communities together.

Ibezim goes on to say, “In the case in question, I went there, walked for kilometres inside the bush, and stood there.” The two villages and a community – because it is between Enugwu village in Umuawulu, Umuenu village in Umuawulu, and Abo Ani in Awgbu – are all for the case in my office, and we have set a date to go there. Surprisingly, Umuenu declined to attend.

“There, we did not want to make our own decision, so I called the leader of Umuawulu and the lawyer representing them, only to find out that after all of us agreed to meet there, he went back, because he was part of the decision that we would go physically there, and he told me that he decided to go to court again later.”

“I made no statements there. All I told the people present was that we had seen things and would return to make our decision. I left. Whatever they are saying is simply a result of their unwillingness to let peace reign. We have not issued an official statement or decided on this matter. “They should wait for my decision first.”

“I have not made a final decision, and they are carrying placards. I simply said that I have heard and I have seen the place but I have not made any decision.”

When asked if the Supreme Court decision referred to by Umuenu residents favoured the village, the Deputy Governor responded, “People lay claims to all sorts of things.” Let them bring the Supreme Court decision. You have this and that judgment; we have lawyers.”

Protesters held placards with inscriptions such as ‘Governor Soludo come to our rescue, Abo Ani encroached on our land, we have supreme court judgement in our favour on the land, Deputy Governor Onyekachukwu Ibezim is biassed, Deputy Gov has been influenced by Chief of Staff who hails from Awgbu, Deputy Gov writes scripts of Chief of Staff and former director of Anambra State Boundary Commission, Chief Davidson Nkala, Soludo intervene

Speaking to reporters during the protest, the protesters’ spokesperson and former chairman of the Umuenu Umuawulu community, Chief Humphrey Obi, recounted how the land dispute began in the 1960s and how Umuenu won all three court cases involving the Court of Republic of Biafra, Onitsha Judicial Division, the Supreme Court of Nigeria, and others that ruled against the Abo Ani Awgbu community.

Obi specifically cited the July 5, 1967 decision of the High Court of the Republic of Biafra, Onitsha Judicial Division, presided over by Justice W. O. Egbuna in the suit filed by Jerome Okpala and Nwanaka Nwankwo for themselves and on behalf of Umuenu village, Umuawulu against Richard Onyenegbu and five others for themselves and as representing the people of Abo-Ani village, Awgbu, which gave Umuenu village victory.

In the judgement, which bears the suit number 0/41/1963, Justice Egbuna stated: “I have monitored the evidence led by the plaintiffs and I am satisfied that this Aguofu land in dispute belongs to the Umuenu people of Umuawulu and not to the defendants, Abo-Ani Awgbu.”

The court went on to say, “I am also convinced that the plaintiffs have been farming on this land, received a judgement over it in 1928, and have continued to use the land until the defendants trespassed into it.”

He stated that dissatisfied with the three court decisions, the Abo Ani people went to the Anambra State Boundary Commission, which was chaired by the Deputy Governor, His Excellency, Onyekachukwu Ibezim, and demanded the demarcation of the disputed land.

“At the Commission, we insisted that we are the owners of the land and that the Supreme Court’s decision must be followed because it is still binding law.

“Funny enough, our brother Enugwu community Umuawulu, who supported Abo Ani and testified against us in court that Abo Ani owned the land, has now reversed course and claimed that the land belongs to them, Enugwu, demonstrating that they are backed up by some powerful forces from the state government.

“While we were interfacing with Abo Ani at the meeting presided over by the Deputy Governor, he informed us that he has no business with the Supreme Court judgement and others and that he has not even gone through the documents we submitted; he only wants the inspection and demarcation of the land in dispute.

“It is clear from the Deputy Governor’s utterances that he is biassed and influenced by the Chief of Staff, who is from Awgbu, and Nkala, a former Director of the Anambra State Boundary Commission, which is why we are calling on Governor Soludo to come to our rescue.

“It is the sacred duty of the Anambra State Boundary Committee to follow and apply the said demarcation as judiciously fixed to accord with the judicially fixed boundary, as anything less will not only amount to the Anambra State Boundary Committee reviewing and reversing the judgement of the competent court but will also amount to contempt of court,” Obi warned.

In a petition to Governor Soludo, the President and Secretary of Umuenu Umuawulu, Nze Okoye Godwin and Mr Nwafor Tochukwu, respectively, reminded him of his belief in the supremacy of law, stating that he should not allow any influence from any quarter to cede the land or part of it to both Abo Ani Awgbu and Enugwu Umuawulu because they were trespassers stopped by the courts of the land.

Reiterating the dangers of ceding land to unauthorised communities, the duo urged Governor Soludo to instead invite the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice to explain the implications of disobeying a court order.