No fewer than hundred women from Amankwo Ibeku-Opi in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State on Thursday protested the alleged trespass of the community land by Chief Jude Asogwa , the Chairman of Nsukka LG.
The protesting women who marched from Opi Market to Opi junction along 9thMile/ Makurdi Express Road and ended the protest at the disputed land opposite Opi Market where they prayed God to intervene and retrieve the community land from Nsukka LG Council.
Some placards carried by protesting women have the inscriptions ; “Nsukka LG Chairman, stop using force, intimidations and harassments to take our community land”.
Others are “Since Nsukka LG was established no council chairman has laid claim to this our land “, Enough of your harassments of Amankwo Ibeku-Opi people because you want to forcefully acquire the community land”. “Resign now, Jude Asogwa, you have lost our confidence and trust”, among others.
Speaking to newsmen during the protest, the spokesperson of the protesters Mrs Rebecca Ugwuodo said the protest was to join their husbands and youths who on February 6 protested to condemn trespass of Nsukka LG chairman on Amankwo Ibeku-Opi community land on January 17.
“We are using this peaceful protest to call on Enugu State Governor Dr Peter Mbah, President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to call Nsukka LG chairman to order, so that he will leave our land for us.
“Our husbands and youths in the community protested on this trespass February 6 after Asogwa on January 17 used bulldozer to destroy our crops, economic trees and other valuables in order to take over our land.
“In spite this case is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction the Nsukka council chairman has started errecting buildings in the disputed land”. she said.
She explained that Amankwo Ibeku-Opi community gave land to Enugu State Customary Court some decades ago to build Customary Court but Nsukka LG chairman now wants to take by force all the land around the Customary Court.
“Our community that gave the land to the government to build Customary Court knows the boundary, it’s unfortunate that Nsukka LG chairman now wants to take all the land around the court,”she said.
The spokesperson condemned some individuals in Opi who have been supporting the Nsukka council chairman to take the land of Amankwo Ibeku-Opi community land because of their selfish interest and what they are benefiting from the chairman.
She urged them to rethink to avoid the wrath of God as it’s evil for them to betray their people because of personal gain.
Ugwuodo said the protesters decided to end the protest with prayer for God to intervene because they know that human being may fail but God who knows the truth will not fail.
“After marching around to let people hear us on this protest, we come to this disputed land and prayed so that God who knows the truth and have the hearts of everybody in His hand will intervene and recover our land for us.
“God says he will fight for the poor and oppressed people like us in the society whenever we calle upon Him.
” We know human beings may fail us but God will not, because, He is faithful and a God of justice, ,” she added.
In a reaction, Asogwa said that the land in question belongs to the Enugu State Customary Court, explaining that the Nsukka LG Council reached agreement with the court before taking over the land for development.
“Nsukka local government did not enter into the Amankwo Ibeku-Opi ancestral land. You should know that by the Land Use Acts 1978, government has right over every land, so government can take and develop any land for overriding public interest.
But in this case, this land was given to Customary Court many decades ago by the community, our target is to expand Afor Opi market from part of the land.
“This lanf belongs to the Customary Court of Enugu State and we reached an agreement with State Customary Court to take over the land and develop it and there are documents signed and given to the council by the President of Enugu State Customary Court,,” he said
Asogwa denied the allegation that the council did not give the people prior notice before rolling out bulldozer to clear the area on January 17.
“We gave them notice last year even before we started fencing Opi Customary Court buildings,”he said .