Soludo SOS: Ogwugwu/Umueze – Oba protests encroachment, brutalization, demolition of buildings by Land grabbers

.. armed thugs aided by military, Police brutalize indigenous land owners

By Uzo Ugwunze

The people of Ogwugwu/Umueze Oba community, Idemili South Local Government Area, Anambra State, have protested alleged encroachment on their ancestral lands and subsequent demolition of about 70 houses by some land grabbers aided by security operatives that included, military, police and suspected armed thugs.

It was gathered that for four consecutive days the encroachment and demolition have continued, prompting the residents to forcefully abandon their ancestorial land/homes for their lives.

Some carried placards with the inscription, “Save our soul, our land is not for sale, save our land from land grabbers, land grabbers are demlishing homes, Stop selling our land to land agents, among others.

Narrating their ordeal to newsmen, the chairman of the community, Hon. Barrister Chuba Oranusi, recalled that the community ceded a portion of the land to the Anambra State Government, in the administration of former Governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, who then gave it to a land development firm, Bukham Nigeria LTD, for the construction of a market.

He said however, it was agreed that the construction firm would not go beyond the boundary given to them by the villagers even as a paltry compensation of #72 million naira out 144million naira they said they would pay was paid.

“They never came back to commmerce work on the project until now that they came with bulldozers, Pell loaders, military, police, armed thugs, among others, and commenced encroachment on our land and demolishing any building within reach, exceeding the portion given to them.

“For four days now they have continued the encroachment and demolition of structures, including destruction of our wives’ farmlands and economic trees. Most of us have become homeless and nowhere to run to.

“What you see here are touts, people who use government apparatus to acquire community land. But we will not allow them, let them just develop the portion we gave to them, we are not interested in the compensation.

“What they do is that as they demolish they call buyers and sell at #10million, #5million, as the case may be, for a plot. So many were beating up when they approached them to know what was amiss”, he further disclosed.

“We urge Governor Charles Chukwuma Soludo to come to our rescue as we have been rendered homeless and the encroachment is still ongoing. They are not even developing the market they claimed they wanted to build

“Let them develop the area we gave to them and leave our community land for us. The destruction is unquantifiable as it was a land where we buried our grand fathers. We were born in this land and have lived here since Adam,” the chairman stated.

Contribution, the vice chairman, Chief Sir. Emeka Motanya, said that in 2019 the construction firm called them to compensate them and they reminded them that they would not go beyond the Ekulo stream road (demacation), given to them.

“But now they have gone beyond it and even chased us out from our residence, made us to become homeless because they have demolished our buildings, using the military, police and armed thugs.

“For four days now, military, police and armed thugs, some are familiar faces, have continued to invade and demolish our houses, and when I asked why the demolition, I was beaten black and blue, I have been hospitalized for days. The house of our chairman was the first to be demolished .

“Let them leave us alone and develop the portion we agreed with them. Governor Soludo please come to our rescue before they kill us all and take over our land,” he pleaded.

Also the youth leader, Mr. Uchenna Obiegbu, said that fear of uncertainty has gripped them as their houses have been demolished and more are being demolished.

“We can never be alive and see land grabbers and greedy land speculators confiscate our fatherland. I have just been withholding our youths to avoid bloodshed but that has a limit”, said Obiegbu

In a swift reaction when contacted, the spokesman of the construction firm, Mr. Mike Egbule, stated that the firm never went beyond the portion given to it rather it was the people of the community that encroached on the firm’s portion of the land.

“So what we are doing is to recover those land they encroached upon. We have the master plan of the land and the team of surveyors were with us to ensure we only recover our own land, he stated.

Pic shows the protesters