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The long revered honour and courtesy extended to the old in Igbo land was desecrated, recently, after some hoodlums masquerading as members of neighbourhood watch descended on a 90-year-old man, Chief John Ali and beat him to pulp at Ebe-Ette community in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of Enugu state over ownership of land.
As if the beating was not enough, while the matter was still pending in court, the police in the area connived with the man at the center of the land case and turned around to charge the old man to court for allegedly giving police false information.
As it stands, the old and feeble man is being dragged from one police station to another almost on a daily basis with a view to forcing him to denounce his ownership of the land and withdraw his earlier complaint about the merciless beating meted on him.
According to reports, trouble started in 2017 when one Odumegwu from Enugu Ezike, Igboeze North local government area allegedly claimed that he bought the parcel of land from one Ameh Egbo, a native of Orokam in Ogbadigbo, Benue state.
However, the old man under whose care the land was entrusted as the oldest man in the community challenged the transaction and that infuriated the people involved in the transaction. It was learned that after all efforts to make the old man accept their term failed, they decided to use force and allegedly engaged the services of a group of young men that masqueraded as members of neighborhood watch, stormed the house of the old man and descended on him. They also confiscated his properties including a motorcycle for weeks.
Narrating his plight in a petition addressed to Enugu State police boss, the nonagenarian stated that the said Odumegwu used the services of the police at Igbo Eze North police division, Ogrute, Enugu- Ezike and members of Igbo Eze North vigilante group to harass, intimidate, arrest and detain him over the disputed parcels of land.
SOURCE: VANGUARD
