The people of Ogwugwu/Umueze Oba community, Idemili South Local Government Area (LGA) of Anambra, on Friday protested alleged encroachment on their land and subsequent demolition of about 70 houses by some security operatives.
Some of the protesters were seen carrying placards with different inscriptions like, “Save our soul, our land is not for sale”, save our land from land grabbers”, “Land grabbers are demolishing homes, Stop selling our land to land agents”, among others.
Addressing newsmen, the Chairman of the community, Mr Chuba Oranusi, recalled that the community ceded a portion of the land to the State Government, in the administration of former Gov. Chinwoke Mbadinuju.
Oranusi alleged that the former governor then gave a portion of the said land to a 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 even as compensation of N72 million out of N144 million was paid.
According to him, “They never came back to commence work on the project until now that they came with bulldozers, Pell loaders, 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 farmlands and economic trees.
“Most of us have become homeless and we have 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,” he said.
He called on Gov. Charles Soludo to come to their rescue as they have been rendered homeless.
In his reaction, 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.
