The people of Umunenweze Okpuala Community in Okaiuga, Nkwoegwu, Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State, have protested the indiscriminate sale of community land and alleged attempts to cede over 7,000 hectares of their ancestral land without their consent.
The people who gathered in their numbers at the Government House, Umuahia, expressed displeasure over the illicit activities going on in their community.
Speaking during the protest, the Secretary of the community, Mr Okechukwu Uzuegbu, condemned what he termed as land grabbing and called on the Abia State Government to intervene urgently.
According to him, the community is opposed to the continued sale of its land, alleging that a former traditional ruler, Mr Onuigbo Paul Uzuegbu, has been allocating portions of community land to developers and other individuals without the approval of the people.
“This kind of thing needs to stop. We say no to land grabbing and the sale of our land. We want the government to help us recover our land and stop the incessant allocation of land to unknown persons. The deposed Eze has been giving out our land to developers without our consent, which is why we are calling on the government to intervene”, he said.
Responding to the protesters, the Senior Special Assistant to the Abia State Governor on Local Government Affairs, Mrs Magdalene Ugoanusi, assured the community that their concerns would be communicated to relevant authorities.
She disclosed that the member representing Ikwuano/Umuahia North and South Federal Constituency, Hon Obi Aguocha, had indicated willingness to intervene in the matter.
“At your presence here today, I will get across to him and inform him that the matter has gotten to another level so that this will stop. You did the right thing by reporting the issue. I will take it up to ensure that we come to a good end”, she said.
Ugoanusi advised the community to formally document their grievances in a letter addressed to the Governor for proper attention and resolution.
She called on the community to pursue peace an shun violence. “Since you have reported the matter, allow us to handle it. Itemize all the issues you have raised in a letter to the Governor so that it can be treated appropriately. Do not take to violence”, she added.
In an interview, a community leader, Mr Chimezie Uzuegbu, alleged that the community’s former monarch, Mr Onuigbo Paul Uzuegbu, who he said was removed from office following a court judgment, had continued to play a role in the disposal of community land.
Chimezie Uzuegbu alleged that members of the community were recently invited to endorse a memorandum of understanding claiming that Umunenweze Okpuala had donated more than 7,000 hectares of land to the Ministry of Lands, a claim he said was unknown to the community. He further alleged that the memorandum contained the name of Onuigbo Paul Uzuegbu, despite residents insisting they had neither approved nor been informed of any such land donation.
He called on the Abia State Government to investigate the matter and ensure that any transactions involving communal land are carried out transparently and with the consent of the people.
