From Isaac Ojo, Awka
The people of Ifite village in Enugwu-Agidi, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, have expressed worry over alleged invasion of their communal land by oand speculators.
Enugu-Agidi people during a protest in Awka, appealed to the state governor, Charles Soludo, to urgently intervene to avoid breakdown of law and order in the area.
The protesters also accused an undisclosed Commissioner of aiding and conniving with the alleged trespassers to re-register the land in question, which, they said, had long been registered in 2021 as Trans-Obibia Layout, gazetted, and also published in the Anambra State Official Gazette No. 8. Vol. 15, December 2005, on Page B197 — B203.
The protesters, comprising the elderly and the youth, were seen wielding placards with different inscriptions, such as: “Soludo, Please, Give Solution to Our Land”, “Registration of Dubai Estate within Ifite Village Land Is Illegal”, “Commissioner for Lands, How Much Were You Given to Sell Our Farmlands?”, “Dubai Estate Does Not Have Any Land within Ifite Village Enugwu-Agidi”, “Dubai Estate Obey the Court Order”.
The spokesperson for the protesters and former Vice-Chairman of the community, Mr. Benjamin Nwanneka Ejinaka, explained that the essence of the protest was to express their grievances and dissatisfaction over what has been going on in their land, as well as seek government intervention.
He recalled how the land case started from nothing to its current status where he alleged that some people now ignore court order and trespass into their land, despite the land being a subject of suit before the court.
“The people had concluded a survey and worked out a master plan for the development of the land, they were beginning to develop and enjoy the benefits of their land, only for them to see the accused person who is not from Enugwu-Agidi, as he surfaced from nowhere and began re-surveying and parcellating the said land, with a view to mutilating its master plan and also rename it from Trans-Obibia Layout to Ifite Ogbanadiji Layout, all without the authorization of the land owners,” he said.
The Surveyor-General of Anambra State, Surv. Anthony Idigo, while addressing the protesters assured them that their grievances had been noted and would be treated with utmost consideration.
