Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The people of Ngwuagu Odunejeogu, Abor Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, have embarked on a peaceful protest at the premises of the Enugu State Housing Corporation (ESHC), over alleged plan by the Corporation to acquire their ancestral land forcefully.
The protesters including elderly women marched from Kingsway Road, Enugu with intention to enter the office of the General Manager of the Housing Corporation but were intercepted at the gate by security operatives.
The demonstrators carried placards with inscriptions, some which read: “Suit No AWH/34/2024 Not Decided,” “ESHDC is not a superior court,” “Lead us not into further crisis.”
The angry villagers were later received by the Managing Director, Gerald Asogwa, who told them that there was no intention by the Housing Corporation to acquire their land forcefully, reminding them that the said land was still under litigation.
“We have heard yo, but I would advise you to go back to your community and ensure that nobody brings the land to the Corporation.
“Currently, the corporation is not working on your land; we don’t have any intention to work on your land,” Asogwa said.
Spokesman of the protesters, Barrister Okolo Okolonkwo, told Journalists that the people of the community had on January 29, this year petitioned the Managing Director of the Housing Corporation over the alleged move to trespass on their land.
The petition signed by him (Okolo Okolonkwo) as the Community’s chairman and Ichie Osmund Obodo his secretary, respectively, made available to newsmen in Enugu reads: “NOTICE BY NGWUAGU ODUNEJEOGU PEOPLE OF ABOR, UDI LGA OF ENUGU STATE TO THE M/D OF E.S.H.D.C TO REFRAIN FROM BEING USED AS A FRONT TO TRESPASS INTO OUR IYI-IFWE-OKPA LAND (EXCLUSIVE ANCESTRAL LAND OF NGWUAGU ODUNEJEOGU), BY SOME UNSCRUPULOUS LAND GRABBERS”
Parts of the petition reads: “We, the people of Ngwuagu Odunejeogu Community Union of Abor in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, hereby give notice and warn you and your Corporation against the unwholesome attempt by some unscrupulous land-grabbers to lead you to trespass into and precipitate crises over our only remaining piece of land known and called Iyi Ifwe Okpa/Ogwugwu Nevo. The said land is an exclusive ancestral inheritance of the Ngwuagu Odunejeogu people of Abor.
“We refer to our various letters to your office dated 03/08/2024, 12/08/2024 and that of 05/12/2024 all duly received and acknowledged by your office. It may interest you to know that the same set of meddlesome-interlopers have been unsuccessfully attempting to grab the said land using 3 earlier fronts.
“First they brought some unknown people who placed a sign post naming the land “Peace Gardens Estate.” Our people chased them away, because the land has already been allocated to citizens to build their homesteads (Ani-obu). At two other occasions the same things happened. The last straw was the very unknown persons through whom they attempted to fence the land during the last Easter Vacation. They were equally repelled. During the last August Vacation, they started to front you and ESHDC to help them achieve their nefarious goal.
“TAKE NOTICE ALSO that this IYI-IFWE-OKPA land has been a subject of litigation in E/589/2006 and still not yet decided. Again we are in court with the said Easter Vacation (2024) trespassers in Suits no. AWH/34/2024 and AWH/05/2025 over trespass to the same Land which is an exclusive property of Ngwuagu Odunejeogu people of Abor.
“We demand that you and your corporation refrain from being led down this precipice. We had attended two meetings in your office where we all agreed that ESHDC should refrain from dragging your organisation to disrepute through land grabbers. We will be willing to partner with the government for housing and other developments. We only wish that justice and rule of law be used as guide.
“The same Ngwuagu Odunejeogu Community bore the brunt of 83 hectares of land now baptized as GOLF ESTATE ANNEX 11 and encumbered/mired in litigations and controversy. Trespassing into the last bastion of the ancestral land in IYI-IFWE-OKPA in pretence of false partnership is downright oppression.
“The community will be happy to continue a discussion on the above issues with our accredited officers and representatives as below, at other fora.”
