Enugu Community Protests, Seeks Mbah’s Intervention Over Sales of Ancestral Land

The Ugwuaji Awkunanaw Community in Enugu South Council Area of Enugu State has appealed for Gov. Peter Mbah’s intervention against alleged selling of their ancestral lands by Enugu State Geographic Information System Service (ENGIS).

The community in a protest for Mbah’s intervention in the matter, said “Selling our ancestral lands to strangers will not only render us and our unborn children homeless but make us strangers in our own land.

Reading the community’s responses to the letter from ENGIS during the protest on Saturday, the traditional leader of the community, HRH Chinedu Nwobodo, said past administrations had used the community’s closeness to state capital to takeover their lands

The community said that the claim that Enugu government acquired the remaining ancestral lands of Ugwuaji Awkunanaw from Independence Layout Phase Two through Obeagu Ugwuaji to Akpugo and from Ndafuine to Idume up to Asata River in the south were unknown to them.

They decried that the government advertorial of reallocating same land to the public at the cost of N8 million on the basis of first come, first serve, would strip their clan men unable to pay the amount of their inheritance.

According to the community, the state government has for many years taken their ancestral lands without adequate compensation and the majority of the people are living below poverty level to raise N8 million.

“We are appealing to Gov. Mbah to call ENGIS to order and to reconsider reallocating our ancestral lands at Ndafuine, Ugwuaji.

“There is no security issues warranting taking over of these lands, divesting them from the aboriginal inheritors and vesting same on individuals outside of the original owners

“The state acquired our lands for Dolphin Estate/Layout of over 6, 000 plots, 26 hectares for Building Materials International Market, Independence Layout Phase one and others without compensation,” they said.

The community appealed to the Managing Director, ENGIS, Mr Chiwetalu Nwatu to come openly and let the community know if they were government plan to relocating them to another place for naturally and unfortunately finding themselves living close to the state capital.

They regretted that members of the community in need of lands to build their residential houses were over 10 times more than those that have theirs, stressing that they still have male children below 18 and those yet unborn that would need lands in future.

Meanwhile, in a letter earlier to the community through Nwobodo, the Managing Director, ENGIS, Chiwetalu Nwatu, requested the royal father to provide the organisation with details of the land allocations within the Ndafuine areas.

The managing director said adequate information would enable them determine ownership owing to the urgency in concluding their investigation on the several land challenges existing at that location which had significantly erased investor confidence.

He said, “Please we write to inform you that based on the numerous land related and security issues on the parcels of land bothering Independence Layout Phase two which led to the government acquisition of some parcels of land in Ugwuaji, Obeagu and Akpugo in 2022.

“We would like you to provide us with details of the land allocations within the Ndafuine areas. This include layout design and details of surveyors involved in respect to the detailed allocation of the properties on or before Oct.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively towards the development of these locations and Enugu State in general. Thank you for your attention to this important matter,” Nwatu said.

Speaking on the protest, Nwatu said that the community were only spreading falsehood, adding that government would address press conference to clarify the issue.