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Four communities drawn from two local government areas of Enugu state have staged a peaceful protest over what they described as forceful takeover of their ancestral Land for the establishment of Motor Spare parts Market and Allied Industries.
The protesting communities include; Ugwuakulu, and Ugwuto from Udi local government area as well as Agbogwugwu and Nchanawa Ogwuofia Imezi Owa in Ezeagu local government area of the state.
The protesters drawn from the four communities including men, women and youths stormed the disputed land at Okpoto, along Enugu -Onitsha expressway brandishing placards with various inscriptions such as; “ YOU TOOK OUR LAND FOR FREE TRADE ZONE, PLEASE LEAVE THIS ONE FOR US”, “ NOTICE: DON’T TAKE OUR LAND BY INTIMIDATION”, “ NO NOTICE OF PURPORTED”, “ GOVERNMENT IS FOR THE PEOPLE, PLEASE DON’T TAKE OUR LAND BY BY FORCE “, as well as “ WE NEED TRANSPARENCY; THAT IS OUR DEMAND “, “ THIS IS THE ONLY LAND WE HAVE”, among others.
Speaking during the protest, Hon. Emmanuel Ozoani said the communities who own the land are not against government’s development plan but expressed worry over acquisition of the land without carrying the communities along.
Ozoani said “ We are not against the government, that is number one point, but what we are against is entering into the land without proper due process. Because on the third of June we were told that, they are acquiring this very land, then we say, how can that be, when it has not come to our knowledge? Then we convened a meeting of the stakeholders of the four communities. We called that man whether he’s in the office. We met him around five o’clock in the evening. What the man told us is that the government has already acquired the land. that there is no need going back. That Peter Mbah is ready to take any land for development . We said yes, no problem. But what we’re saying is, please where is the size of the area you are taking. We asked for the survey plan.
He said they have no other land for the children and no place to farm if the community takes over the land inherited from their forefathers.
“What you’re asking the government is, please let us come together in a roundtable, because we believe that dialogue is the most essential thing for peace. As we are here, nobody has anything except display cards”, Ozoani said.
Also speaking, Engineer Usmond Nwabuisi, Chairman, Nchanawa Autonomous Community, Ezeagu Local Government Area said it was not proper for the state government to enter into their land without dialogue and due consultation with the communities who owned the land.
“We are protesting because the government has forcefully entered our land, without due process, either by way of dialogue or compensation or any of that. If you look around you can see that the land in question is being fenced because the land is meant for our youth”.
He recalled that this is not first time the state government is taking land belonging the communities.
“ In the past administration, the government has taken a lot of our land. When they were trying to acquire free trade zone 50% of land belongs to us. When they were trying to acquire the land for international market, some part of land is also there. Now they have entered our land without telling us”.
He called for dialogue in resolving the issue.