Stay away from our land, Anambra community cautions police

The people of Ezinano community in Awka, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State have made it very clear to the police operatives in the state that no amount of intimidation would make them abandon their land for any one.

There was pandemonium at Agụ Nawgu farmland at the weekend when some policemen stationed at the place threw teargas canisters at the Awka indigenes that went there for inspection.

That piece of land is said to be in dispute between them and Enugwu Agidi community. And when the Awka people got there, the policemen numbering about 14 ordered them to go back.

Not willing to heed that order, the people marched on to the said land; an action which provoked the policemen to fire bullets and threw teargas canisters at them, probably to scare them away.

A community leader, Chief Kanayo Obidigbo, alleged that a high ranking police officer had deployed the policemen to the land to prevent his people from accessing their property.

He argued that the occupation of the land by the policemen was not necessary as there was no problem in the area.

Obidigbo, who was also at the scene, accused the police authorities in the state of complicity, saying that they had displayed manifest interest in the matter.

“What we are saying is that police presence on our land is unacceptable. The men were sent here by a Deputy Commissioner of Police, whose interest we do not know.

“They have stalled development in this site. I have a building here, but I can’t continue with the work because police have occupied the whole place and shooting at us.

“Today you saw how police were shooting at us, defenceless Awka indigenes, who have neither stick nor knives.

“Police claimed that they did not post operatives to our land as they told the IGP, but as you can see now, they sent police to the land, and they were shooting at us as we made to move into the land to inspect it”, he said.

Obidigbo called on the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, to look into the matter and order the withdrawal of policemen from the land.

The spokesperson of the state police command, Toochukwu Ikenga, when contacted, said: “There is no such report like that before me.” But the Commissioner of Police in the state, Aderemi Adeoye, told journalists that he didn’t send police officers to the place.