Raphael Ede, Enugu
An Enugu community, Ugwogo-Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State has called on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to intervene and stop the plot by some members of his cabinet to convert 2,500 plots of the community’s land themselves.
The Ugwogo-Nike Town Union President, Hon. Nelson Okoh and Secretary, Barrister Chukwuemeka Agbo, in a petition to the governor said, “Your attention is hereby drawn to the plan by some members of Enugu state Executive Council to grab over two thousand five hundred plots of lands in a village called Amankpaka in Ugwogo-Nike community.
“The said government officials are in connivance with some leaders of the village to convert the lands to themselves in a thin disguise of assisting the village in her quest to obtain the status of autonomous community.”
The town union said it was worried because the people of Amankpaka village were predominantly farmers who carry out most of their farming activities on the affected land.
“The said land is about the most fertile in the village and if the improper sale is not aborted the farmers will be reduced to poverty, hunger and starvation.
“One of the village leaders whose hands are in this land deal, contested for the Igwe stool of Ugwogo-Nike some years back but failed.
“It is our believe that he is desperate of becoming a traditional ruler, hence his yielding to the promise of autonomous community status to the village.
“Again, the population of this village is about 400 persons. So the promise of autonomous status is to say the least, fraudulent,” the community lamented.