House Wades Into Land Dispute Between PEIWA & Communities In Enugu

As part of ongoing efforts to keep the peace in the polity, the House of Representatives committee on Public Petition has waded into the land dispute between the Obeagu and Amechi-Uwani Awkunanaw communities and the developers of Private Estates International West Africa limited, PEIWA, in Enugu south Local council of the state.

Chairman of the Committee, Mr Mike Etaba who assured the warring groups that justice would be served on the matter also promised to ascertain if any court in Enugu state had adjudicated on the matter before now.

He spoke against the backdrop of claim by the rulers, kindred families of Amechi Uwani, and Obeagu Awkunanaw, of Enugu South LGA, Enugu State, that the Deputy Commissioner of Police Akinbayo Olasoji, of the Enugu State Command be held responsible for the alleged attempt to grab the disputed Enugu Centenary City land in breach of laid down provision of the law.

The aggrieved community leaders also pointed accusing fingers at SP Chidiebere Ijeoma and Uche Anya of the Enugu Capital Territory over committal of the alleged infraction.

They urged the committee to ensure urgent actions against the alleged excesses of the police officers, who have provided the land grabbers with police cover to ceaselessly harass, intimidate and unjustifiably hound their members to prison on trumped up charges.

The communities described the Committee as their last hope in the face of the most vicious land grabbing spree, and illegal acquisition of their ancestral lands by PEIWA, led by one Kingsley Eze with his armed thugs, some persons in police uniform; the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority ECTDA, led by Uche Anya.

They thereby urged the lawmakers to cause the IGP to direct the Department of Force Intelligence, DFI,, and Zone 13 Command, to charge to court all cases reported and investigations concluded against the land grabbers and their hirelings, in order to serve as a deterrent to others in the future.

“Our anguish and pain goes beyond the demolitions unleashed on us, we were more alarmed with the gruesome murder of a police officer, Inspector Celestine Orodiovwe of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID) Annex, Enugu, in December 2021, who was investigating the case we reported against those we can describe as some hirelings of PEIWA,” they claimed.

“Between 2021 and 2022, there was an alarming spate of heinous crimes, particularly unresolved cases of murder such as the murder of Chidera Ogaba, Comrade Kelvin Ezeoha, among others.

“May we also draw your attention to the persistent invasion of our community and the numerous arrests of our people by the Enugu Police Command, particularly, SP Chidiebere Ijeoma and DCP Akinbayo Olasoji who are being used to terrorize our people in favour of Kingsley Eze and his PEIWA. SP Chidiebere who has been in Enugu State Command for about 15 years now, has lost his sense of fairness as a police officer. Same as DCP Akinbayo Olasoji, who as the DCP Ops, Enugu Command, personally supervised the demolitions of our buildings alongside his officers”.

They recalled that sequel to the murder of Sunday Ngene, an indigene of Obeagu Awkunanaw, in December, 2022 the traditional ruler Igwe Mike Nnukwu wrote a petition to the IGP which was assigned to Zone 13 for investigation.

As the police investigation was ongoing, the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), issued Notice of Demolition to “all illegal developers at Enugu Life Style and Gulf City (Centenary) Master Plan.” This Demolition Notice was published in the Vanguard Newspaper of Friday, April 21st, 2023.

“We quickly instructed our lawyer to write A Letter of Objection to the Chairman, ECTDA, to rescind the Demolition Notice and await the outcome of the pending suit in respect of the land in question. We organized a peaceful protest, and in addition our traditional ruler held a World Press Conference on 2nd May, 2023 still in respect of the planned demolition.

“As soon as our traditional ruler rose from the World Press Conference, and in a manner intended to intimidate him and the entire community, he was confronted by some officers from the Homicide Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Abuja inviting him and other members of the community to Abuja in respect of the murder of Sunday Ngene.

Oduyemi Odumade, Edited By Grace Namiji