Chairman, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, Jude Asogwa, says his administration did not demolish any property in Amankwo Ekautara Ibeku Opi Community as alleged.
The chairman disclosed this to journalists yesterday in Nsukka while reacting to alleged forceful take over of the community’s ancestral land without any notice or consultation.
Asogwa explained that the land in question belonged to the Enugu State Customary Court, saying that the council reached an agreement with the court before taking over the land for development.
“Nsukka local government did not enter into the Amankwo Ekautara Ibeku Opi ancestral land.
“You should know that by the Land Use Acts 1978, government has right over every land, so government can take and develop any land for overriding public interest.
“But in this case, this land was given to the Customary Court many decades ago by the community.
“Our target is to expand Afor Opi market using the land so that the market will absorb activities that would crop up in the area after the dualization of the Nike-Opi Nsukka road, 9th mile-Makurdi Expressway and 9th mile-Awhum-Ukehe-Opi road.
“So, the land we are clearing belongs to the Customary Court Opi, and we reached an agreement with the State Customary Court to take over the land and develop it and there are documents signed and given to the council by the President of Enugu State Customary Court”, he said.
The Council Boss disclosed that he had explained the issue to some of the community members who reached out to him concerning this issue.
Asogwa also denied the allegation that the Council did not give the people prior notice before rolling out bulldozer to clear the area.
“We gave them notice last year even before we started fencing Opi Customary Court buildings.
“There was no property there that was destroyed as they alleged; the place was just an empty land and we cleared it.
“If after all these explanations, the community still feel aggrieved, they can go to court and seek redress, the council have all the necessary documents to tender before the court in order to win the case”, Asogwa added.
Meanwhile, some stakeholders in the council area in a press briefing, alleged that the chairman encroached on their ancestry land without prior notice.
The stakeholders claimed that the chairman destroyed farms, economic trees and other valuables by bulldozer on Jan 17.
Speaking, HRH, Igwe Lordswell Eleje, the Traditional Ruler of the community who spoke through his Legal Adviser, Mr. Osita Ogbu, expressed concern that Nsukka council chairman could invade their communal land destroying their farmlands and other property without pre-notice to leadership of the community.
“The land in question is situated at Ukwuala Ugwurogo Ibeku which the people leased in 1976 to Bartoletti Nigeria limited, a foreign construction company to use as a Base Camp for their staff during the construction of the 9th mile- Makurdi Expressway.
“At the end of the company’s construction work in 2007, the company handed over the land to the community who thereafter shared the land to natives, some of the owners have since developed and erected structures on their portions.
“To our greatest surprise, on January 17, we woke up only to see bulldozer from Nsukka LG with scores of armed security personnel destroying our buildings, farmlands, economic trees, among others”, he said.
The traditional ruler noted that the community was determined to deploy all legal means to ensure that the land was not taken by force by the government.
He, however, said that the community was ready for peaceful negotiation with Nsukka LG in order to resolve the matter.
Also speaking, Dr. Isaiah Abonyi, the President General of Ekautara Ibeku Opi Community expressed disappointment that the community was not given early information by the council before rolling out bulldozer into the community.
Abonyi appealed to youths in the area community and those whose land were affected to remain calm as leaders in the community were making efforts to see the council chairman so as to resolve the issue.
Speaking on behalf of the youths in the community, Mr. Kingsley Ezugwu, said that the community was yet to recover from what the council chairman did.
“The only land I know the community gave to government was 4.40 hectares of land given to Enugu State Customary Court many decades ago, and everybody in the community knows the boundary.
” We do not know where the council chairman got information to come and lay claim to our ancestral land”, he said.
The youths spokesperson alleged that some youths who wanted to use their mobile phones to take pictures or video the destruction by the bulldozer on that fateful day were manhandled by security personnel.
“We are appealing for the intervention of Enugu State Governor as well as urge the council boss to learn good leadership and due process from the governor.
“Governor Peter Mbah who is presently dualizing the Nike-Opi Nsukka road, has given those whose property are affected first, second, and third notice to remove their property whereas the Nsukka LG chairman did not even give our people 24hrs notice”, he said.
