Stephen Ukandu, Umuahia
Former Minister for Power, Professor Bart Nnaji, has denied any involvement in land grabbing in his home state, Enugu, contrary to some media reports.
Professor Nnaji, in a statement by his Media Assistant, Chijioke Ogbodo, explained that contrary to the “misleading media reports,” he is the real owner of the said piece of land located at Onuogba Nike, Enugu State.
He accused the squatters of sponsoring a media campaign to blackmail him.
The Geometric Power Plant boss urged members of the public to disregard the said misleading publications, accusing the publishers of bias.
Professor Nnaji regretted that publishers of the misleading report did not hear from him before publishing.
The former Minister who insisted that the said land belongs to him, urged media practitioners to always verify their facts.
The statement read in part: “Several squatters occupying a piece of land in Onuogba Nike in Enugu East Local
Government Area belonging to Professor Bart Nnaji, have, as part
of their spirited campaign against the owner of the land, addressed the media in Enugu on Thursday, 12 September 2024, on what they sensationally described as land grabbing in the area.
“A section of the media published their claims, but the majority of those who covered it declined to publish any aspect of the conference because they recognised the entire exercise is baseless, false, misleading, and immoral. They know that the squatters are, indeed, the land grabbers.
“None of the few media that published the funny claims of this handful of land grabbers bothered to speak to Professor Nnaji, thereby violating a basic principle of journalism and natural justice: always hear both parties in a dispute before reporting it. They did not bother to contact the Catholic Bishop of the Enugu Diocese, The Most Reverend Dr. Callistus Onaga, DD, who was mentioned multiple times at the press conference. If they had attempted to speak to His Lordship who intervened in the matter purely on humanitarian grounds, the reporters would have obtained the true and correct picture.
“The landowner is Professor Nnaji, not the squatters. When Prof Nnaji came back from the USA to establish an auto part manufacturing industry and independent power project in Enugu State in conjunction with his South Korean partners, he purchased the land in 2005 from Chief Hyacinth Alinta, the owner who had the Certificate of Occupancy. The late Chief Hyacinth Alinta, a respected businessman and proud son of Enugu State bought the land much earlier from the original owners in Onuogba Community.
“When Prof Nnaji wanted to clear the land and start the project after the purchase, some people who recently migrated from Ezza Nkomoro in Ebonyi State to the Onuogba Nike Community and were squatting on the land became violent so he suspended the action until the court case he had inherited from Chief Alinta over the squatters’ presence on the land and ownership of the land was resolved in favour of the Alinta family.
“After the court judgement, Prof Nnaji again attempted to restart his project in 2013. However, due to the intervention of the Catholic Bishop of the Enugu Diocese, The Most Reverend Dr. Callistus Onaga, DD, Prof Nnaji paused his plan to restart the project on his land on humanitarian grounds and allowed the squatters to indicate through the Church or their leaders, their interest to either purchase the land and remain on it or vacate the land peacefully. None took advantage of this kind gesture for over eleven (11) years.
“Over the years, the squatters resorted to threatening the landowner’s workers. This culminated in the 2023 murder of a member of their community, Mr Sunday Ozoemena, who won the contract to construct the perimeter fence around the area. Mr Ozoemena had been advising his kinsmen against their obduracy and embrace of extreme violence against the owner of the land. Mr Ozoemene’s murder is still being investigated by the police.
“These developments have not deterred Prof Nnaji or Bishop Onaga from displaying patience and compassion for the squatters especially when some of them disclosed to their Parish Priest that they had been misled and defrauded by some of their members who had “sold” the land to them.
“Again, with Bishop Onaga’s intervention the squatters were given up to August 10, 2024, to register their acceptance of Prof Nnaji’s offer to pay for the land. Out of sheer magnanimity, Prof Nnaji even informed Bishop that he would provide a grant of up to N1m to any of the squatters who have to move out of the land.
“Determined to make the process easier and simpler, the squatters were also asked to register with their Parish Priest in Onuogba who had also contacted Prof Nnaji on their behalf. Interestingly, no one took this offer until the eviction exercise started two (2) days ago. Rather, they insisted, without any shred of evidence, that the land is theirs and the youths were threatening everyone with extreme violence in the guise of being ESN members.
“The fact remains that the squatters have never had any documents to support their ownership claim. The judiciary ruled on the land ownership in January 2013 and the squatters lost, as expected. The squatters’ claim that the land is their ancestral home is false because they migrated recently from Ezza Nkomoro in Ebonyi State to the Onuogba Nike Community.
“There must be a limit to impunity and blackmail. The squatters have taken undue advantage of Professor Nnaji’s magnanimity and concern for the welfare of others.
“However, their continued stay on his property with impunity has delayed his project and the development of the land. After over 11 years of waiting for the squatters to do the right thing, Professor Nnaji has finally given up on them and has taken all necessary legal and moral steps to take possession of his property and develop the project.
“We understand from key members of the group in Onuogba that the campaign of calumny against Prof Nnaji is being sponsored by some of their people who had been fraudulently selling Prof. Nnaji’s land to them illegally. The Catholic Parish Priest in Onuogba who has been intervening on their behalf can be contacted for independent verification of the facts stated in this statement.”
