From Emmanuel Uzor, Awka
Tension is brewing in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State, following a clash between the Anambra State Housing Corporation and some landowners over land allegedly acquired by the state government for the development of an estate.
*Daily Sun* reports that some landowners, led by Professor Steve Unachukwu, have accused the state government of encroaching on their lands and demolishing inhabited structures sitting on over 118.27 hectares within the area.
The group, while addressing journalists, said they were landowners who bought their plots of land in 2014 from the natives of Isuaniocha, with some already occupying their properties before the Anambra State Housing Corporation started demolishing their buildings.
Unachukwu said the people of Isuaniocha had engaged the Anambra State Housing Corporation in dialogue with a view to developing the community and, in the process, donated 1,000 plots of land, amounting to 54.27 hectares, for that purpose.
“Umuneri village mapped out 1,000 plots of land and allocated the rest opposite the one they donated to the government for their children, where they will set up their homestead. Some beneficiaries of the land sold their plots to members of the public, and more than 200 people purchased plots of land from Umuneri, and some of them had built structures on their land.”
He said things were moving well until 2018, when the Anambra State Housing Corporation allegedly encroached on the land and started demolishing structures, effectively occupying the land with security agents.
Unachukwu said that despite the consent judgement entered by both parties arising from suit No A/243/2019, the Anambra State Housing Corporation had remained on the land and chased away the landowners.
However, the Anambra State Housing Corporation denied illegal occupation of the land and said the land in question was duly acquired from the people of Isuaniocha for the purpose of building an estate.
The Head of Public Relations of the Anambra Housing Corporation, Mrs Jane Okafor, said the corporation had acquired the land from the natives, an agreement was signed, and compensation was fully paid.
She said some mischievous individuals still went ahead to start selling the land to unsuspecting members of the public after collecting compensation.
Mrs Okafor said the corporation acquired the land many years ago and completed the survey and allocation before the date being presented by the protesting group.
She said that while the corporation was fulfilling its own part of the agreement to build a bridge and link the community to Awka, some indigenes of the community started selling part of the estate to some people.
“When the corporation discovered that some people had illegally started developing part of the estate, it called on the people who were illegally developing part of the estate for a meeting, and some people came while others refused to come.