…the Anambra land grabbing protest highlights ongoing tensions over land ownership and development across parts of the state.
Awka, Nigeria — The iNews Times | The Anambra land grabbing protest intensified as residents of Umuneri Village, Isuaniocha in Awka North Local Government Area appealed to Governor Chukwuma Soludo to direct the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation (ASHDC) to vacate their ancestral land in the interest of peace and justice.
The protesters, comprising youths, women and elderly men, staged a peaceful demonstration against the agency, accusing it of forceful acquisition of their ancestral land.
During the Anambra land grabbing protest, the aggrieved residents stormed the Government House, Awka (popularly known as Light House), carrying placards with inscriptions such as: “Soludo Stop the Seizure of Our Ancestral Land,” “Soludo We Can’t Eat Concrete, Save Our Farmland,” and “ASHDC Stop Land Grabbing, Abide by the Consent Judgement.”
They called on the governor to compel the agency to restrict its activities to the 54.27 hectares earlier agreed upon and vacate the remaining land.
Presenting their demands, spokesperson and stakeholder of the village, Engr. Francis Udeh, said the dispute between the community and the agency had lasted for over two decades.
“Since then, a series of managing directors of the ASHDC have come and gone, but none of them wanted to resolve the issue,” he said.
He appealed to Governor Soludo to intervene, expressing confidence in his leadership.
“We are here to plead with our governor, whom we believe is just, to come to our aid,” he added.
Udeh further alleged that despite an existing court judgement, the agency had failed to comply with a consent judgement guiding the use of the land.
“We have a court judgement asking the ASHDC to stick to a consent judgement. Unfortunately, the agency violated that judgement and went ahead demolishing our buildings,” he said.
According to him, the situation has severely affected the livelihood of residents.
“Our people can no longer farm; we can no longer move freely on our land. As we speak, there are thugs and military men stationed on that land,” he alleged.
He disclosed that the community had earlier agreed to cede 54.7 hectares of land to the agency in a bid to maintain peace.
“We did this because we want peace. No community in the state has done that. We are begging the governor to help us reclaim our ancestral land,” he said.
Responding on behalf of the governor, the Secretary to the State Government, Solo Chukwulobelu, commended the community for conducting a peaceful protest.
He assured them that their concerns, which he described as serious, would be conveyed to Governor Soludo.
“I am very certain that the governor will come to a resolution that will solve this over 20-year dispute. We will invite all parties involved,” he said.
As part of the Anambra land grabbing protest, the demonstrators also marched to the St Patrick’s Catholic Cathedral, Awka to seek the intervention of the Catholic Bishop of Awka Diocese, Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor.
Another stakeholder, Engr. Raphael Ezeike, explained that the visit to the church was to seek fatherly intervention.
“We have presented our petition to the governor. Now, we are begging our bishop to help us speak to the governor and the agency to leave our land,” he said.
He emphasised that the disputed land remained the community’s primary source of livelihood.
“This land is where we live and depend on for survival. We believe the bishop can intervene because he is respected by both government and society,” he added.
Responding, the Chancellor of the Diocese, Rev. Fr. Dr. Charles Ndubuisi, who represented the bishop, informed the protesters that Bishop Ezeokafor was currently in Rome on an official visit.
He assured them that their message would be relayed and expressed the bishop’s readiness to intervene for peaceful resolution.
He also offered prayers for the community and encouraged dialogue between the parties.
Speaking to journalists, Chairman of the village, Chief Geoffrey Udeh, lamented that several efforts to resolve the matter had failed.
“On several occasions, we wrote to the governor, but there has been no headway,” he said.
He recalled that the community had previously protested at the Anambra State House of Assembly, which intervened but failed to resolve the dispute.
“Even during the administration of former governor Willie Obiano, we protested, but our petitions did not yield results,” he added.
He, however, expressed optimism that Governor Soludo would address the issue and bring lasting peace to the community.
Observers say the Anambra land grabbing protest highlights ongoing tensions over land ownership and development across parts of the state, with stakeholders calling for dialogue and adherence to legal agreements to prevent further conflict.
