Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The people of Ikem in Enugu State on Monday stormed the headquarters of the Isi-Uzo Local Government Area to protest the proposed conversion of part of the council secretariat premises into a housing estate.
The protesters, made up of different age groups from the community, said the land was donated to the then Isi-Uzo County Council in 1974 strictly for local government administrative purposes, not for private residential development.
According to them, the land should be developed for public interest rather than private gain.
Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Develop our land for public interest, not private interest,” “Bring more development, not selling of our land,” and “This land belongs to our people.”
HRH Igwe Okechukwu Ogbodo, Traditional Ruler of Ikem-Uno community and Chairman of the Isi-Uzo Traditional Rulers’ Council, said the people were only seeking their rights through a peaceful protest.
He disclosed that he had earlier engaged the Chairman of Isi-Uzo LGA, Barrister Obiora Obeagu, on the matter but felt the chairman was evasive until news emerged that the land was being sold.
Reacting, Obeagu maintained that the land no longer belongs to the community since it was officially given to the government decades ago.
He said discussions with the community on the matter were still ongoing and insisted that the council has a survey plan dated 1972 to back its claim.
Obeagu accused the community of “looking for trouble” by insisting the land is still theirs, and challenged them to produce documents to prove their claims of encroachment.
