Posted by A land dispute has escalated to the point where the Obollo people of Enugu State’s Udenu Local Government Area are sitting on a keg of gunpowder.
According to locals, the conflict is heating up and could quickly escalate into a slaughter if immediate action is not taken.
The Obollo people said at a news conference in Enugu over the weekend that a previous governor of Enugu State was trying to seize 70 hectares of land by causing the conflict.
They presented an already-drafted petition to IGP Kayode Agbetokun, accusing the former governor of enlisting the help of his associates to sow discord in the community and seize their shared land.
Chief Matthew Agu, as the Donee and Power of Attorney, Oha Obollo in Council, signed the petition on December 21, 2023, and it was made available to GODZGENERALBLOG
Agu traced the origins of the situation back to 9th August 2015, when the former governor requested and received a huge plot of land in Obollo-Afor to build a dry sea port, explaining that the proposal was made for the public welfare.
“However, as time passed, we learned that he had deceived us into giving the land,” he explained. It was obvious that he intended to take the land for himself. That land is not for anyone’s personal use, so we kicked against it.
“After failing to implement his plan to take the land for himself using the dry sea port story, he turned to manipulating one of the clans in the community into claiming ownership of the property. This was done despite a court order that stated the land belonged to the entire Oha Obollo and not just one clan.”
Along with the claims that the state’s police had been corrupted, Agu detailed the ex-governor’s multiple efforts, through a sitting police chief from the same local government region, to thwart attempts to address the matter lawfully.
This is a well-planned plot to frame Obollo individuals and put them in prison, Inspector General.
“Recall that in my petition dated August 21, 2023, I informed you about the criminal treatment of my people of Obollo by a DIG who was then a CP.
Just like a previous governor of the state who initially intended to use this land for official purposes but then changed his mind and wanted to put his stamp on it under different names.
To the point where the Enugu police department turns a blind eye to the actions of judgment debtors but screams bloody murder at the first sign of trouble, he has utilized his appointees in the judiciary and the police to wipe out my people.
Once the DPP concluded that I am the legal owner of the land and released me from jail yard in 2018, the then-governor demanded that the then-attorney general step down. I was the community leader shackled to the prison yard for eight days. If it weren’t for the intervention of the late Supreme Court Justice C.C. Nweze, this would have happened.
In my petition dated August 21, you may recall that the DIG had previously ordered the release of suspects who had been arrested for arson, conspiracy, and willful damage to our property. However, after failing to stop the investigation, he boasted to the arresting officers about how he had orchestrated the striking out of criminal charges against the suspects by the force CID Enugu Annex.
“It seems highly likely that someone has taken advantage of the OC Legal to keep the judgement debtors occupied while the judgement creditors are led on a merry chase in their pursuit of due process.”
He begged the IGP to step in before the community’s ire could boil over into a catastrophe that would destroy homes and lives alike.
He demanded an investigation by the head of the police force and the restoration of the judgment creditors’ property.