By Lukman Olabiyi
Residents of Umuezenevu Village in the Ibute-Egede autonomous community of Udi Local Government Area, Enugu State, has staged protest over alleged illegal encroachment and destruction of their ancestral land by suspected estate developers.
The protesters, comprising men, women, youths, and community leaders, marched from Awele Udeh Civic Hall in Umuezenevu to the disputed land, registered as Phoenix Layout Phases one to four, located along the newly constructed 9th Mile, Obollo Afor dual carriage highway.
They carried placards demanding intervention from Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, and the Udi Local Government Chairman, Mr. Hyginus Agu.
Speaking at the protest site, Elder Patrick Onodu, Chairman of Umuezenevu Village, condemned what he described as the unauthorized invasion and destruction of economic trees and farmland.
He stressed that the community never sold or permitted any individual or group to undertake development or land sales in the area.
“We are calling on those hiding under various names to immediately withdraw their bulldozers and stop all activities on our land.
“Any transactions carried out without the consent of Umuezenevu people and our traditional ruler, His Royal Highness, Igwe Dr. Ikenna Okwesili, are null and void,” Onodu stated.
Elder Onodu concluded the protest by warning the public against dealing with land speculators, emphasizing that any unauthorized land transaction in Umuezenevu is done at the buyer’s risk.
He appealed to Governor Mbah to uphold his administration’s zero-tolerance policy on land grabbing and protect the rights of indigenous communities.
“We trust in the governor’s commitment to peace and the rule of law. We are counting on him to intervene and safeguard our ancestral heritage,”he said.
Women leaders, including Mrs. Bukki Anubueze and Mrs. Angela Mbaeze, expressed fears over the future of farming and housing for their children.
“If this continues, our children will have no land to farm or build homes,” they lamented.
They disclosed that the community had filed a formal complaint at the Ezi Nze Police Station, prompting an investigation and police surveillance identified a popular real estate firm as one of the developers involved in the alleged encroachment.
The post Enugu community stages protest land grabbing, sends SOS to governor, LG boss appeared first on The Sun Nigeria.
