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Obinna Odogwu, Awka
No fewer than 2,000 persons from Umueri community in Anambra East Local Government Area, yesterday, protested encroachment into their land and demolition of some of their houses by men alleged to be members of the Nigerian Police.
Daily Sun learnt that at the root of the crisis is the contention for a parcel of land measuring 17 hectares which belongs to the community, but was donated to the police by the state government to build the Police Institute of Finance and Administration (PIFA).
The protesters carried placards with various inscriptions such as “Agu-Akor land is Umueri heritage,” “Police, stop ongoing marking and destruction of our properties,” “Police don’t cause Umueri and Aguleri war.”
They accused Governor Willie Obiano of humiliating them, alleging that government never consulted them before ceding their land to the police. Led by Chief Mike Anaegboka, they alleged that instead of operating within the boundaries of the 17 hectares of land, the police annexed additional 117,983 hectares, leading to a loss of an estimated 118,000 hectares of the community land.
Anaegboka also alleged that more than 500 houses belonging to villagers and other developers had been marked own for demolition even as some had been pulled down.
