• LG, community bicker over ancestral land, women protest
From Jude Chinedu, Enugu and Felix Ikem, Nsukka
A storm has been brewing in the quiet town of Opi in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State. The people of Amankwo Ekautara-Ibeku autonomous community in the area have raised their voices in a protest that has caught the attention of the state government.
At the heart of the controversy is a piece of land known as Ukwu Alugwu, which the community claims belonged to them for generations. Their grievance followed a forceful takeover of this ancestral land by the Nsukka local government area chairman, Jude Asogwa, who they claim is acting with the backing of the president of the Enugu State Customary Court of Appeal, Justice George Nnamani.
In a detailed petition dated April 28, 2025, and addressed to Governor Peter Mbah, the community did not mince words. They condemned the unlawful entry into their land and the destruction of property therein.
“We are constrained to bring to your attention the forceful and unlawful entry into private lands belonging to us, the Amankwo Clan of Ekautara Ibeku autonomous community, Opi, Nsukka LGA, by the chairman of Nsukka LGA.
“We are aghast at the wanton destruction of property being carried out by the chairman of the Nsukka LG Council on our lands under this flimsy excuse,” the petition said.
The flimsy excuse they referred to was a letter said to have emanated from Justice Nnamani, dated November 27, 2024, in which the court’s president purportedly authorised the release of part of the Opi Customary Court land to the Nsukka local government council.
Part of the letter read: “In the spirit of the synergy that exists and should exist between the three arms of government in Enugu State, I will grant your request for release to Nsukka local government of a portion of the land constituting the property/premises of the Customary Court, Opi.”
Justice Nnamani further instructed that the rest of the Customary Court land be fenced off to protect it from further encroachment.
But the community insists that the letter is now being used to justify a far more aggressive land grab by the local government chairman.
“The chairman unlawfully and forcefully entered into our land in January 2025 and has been destroying crops, properties and structures/buildings.
“He has deployed armed personnel to the land and they have been intimidating, harassing and preventing people from legitimate access to their lands and abducting those who insist on their right of access,” they alleged.
The community’s position, which was endorsed by Ikechukwu Ugwuegede, Okey Ugwueze, Chief Lawrence Agbougwu, Hon. Kingsley Ezugwu and Dr. Isaiah Abonyi, among others, claimed that the disputed land is far outside the boundaries of the Opi Customary Court and includes plots leased in the 1970s to a private company, Intercontractors Limited.
The community further said that even the court land was donated with a purpose, to house the Customary Court and for judicial functions only. So, any other use, such as commercial development or market stalls, would be a violation of that original intent.
“We are aware that Justice Nnamani has no authority to even give out the land of the Customary Court for purposes of erecting shops and commercial buildings, in violation of the purpose for which the land was donated by our forebears nearly a century ago,” they maintained.
Beyond the land issue, the petitioners also raised legal and ethical concerns.
“Can a staff of the judiciary of a state give out land? What authority does he have to do so? Can the land of the state judiciary be used for any purpose other than that for which it was originally donated by the landowners?
“Will there not be a huge conflict of interest if the landowners decide to sue at the same customary court he presides over? Customary courts are supposed to administer justice in cases such as land disputes. How can justice be done in this case if the head of the court is one of the defendants?”
They argued that the letter from the court was not just overreaching, but ultra vires, or beyond the legal authority of the signatory. Aside concerns over the legality of the process, the community also pointed to the practical and safety implications of turning the remaining court land into a marketplace.
“Permit us to inform you that the Customary Court, Opi, is situated opposite the Ahor Opi Market, the second largest market in Nsukka LGA. Part of the land meant for the Customary Court has already been ceded to house a market, which has now become a safety hazard by having a thriving market on two sides of the busy Old Enugu-Opi Road,” the petitioner said.
They warned that this second attempt “to wipe out all remaining land available to the Customary Court” could destroy the court’s ambiance and functionality.
In their final plea to Gov. Mbah, the community asked for three things: That the Nsukka LG chairman be directed to desist from further entry into the Ukwu Alugwu land; that the state government reviews the appropriateness of converting court premises to a market and that all intimidation, harassment and destruction of property cease immediately, and restitution be made.
Daily Sun gathered that the council chairman has recently been enmeshed in alleged cases of land grab and trespass.
Stakeholders of Amankwo Ibeku-Opi community had sometime in February addressed newsmen after conducting them around the allegedly destroyed farms, economic trees and other valuables by bulldozer deployed by the LG chairman on January 17.
The action has since the beginning of the year continued to elicit all manner of protests by people of the area. Last Thursday, no fewer than 100 women from the community protested the alleged forceful trespass of the community land by Chief Asogwa.
They marched from Opi Market to Opi Junction along the 9th Mile/Makurdi Express Road and ended the protest at the disputed land, opposite Opi Market, where they prayed to God to intervene and retrieve the community’s land from Nsukka local government.
Some of their placards read: “Nsukka LG Chairman, stop using force, intimidation and harassment to take our community land,” “Since Nsukka LG was established no council chairman has laid claim to this our land,” “Enough of your harassment of Amankwo Ibeku-Opi people because you want to acquire the community land,” and “Resign now, Jude Asogwa, you have lost our confidence and trust,” among others.
Spokesperson for the protesters, Mrs. Rebecca Ugwuodo, who addressed newsmen, said the protest was to join their husbands and youths who had on February 6 protested to condemn the trespass on their land by the council boss.
“We are using this peaceful protest to call on Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, President Bola Tinubu and security agencies to, as a matter of urgency, call Nsukka LG chairman to order to leave our land for us.
“Our husbands and youths in the community protested on this issue on February 6 when Asogwa, on January 17, used bulldozer to destroy our crops, economic trees and other valuables in order to take our land.
“Despite that the case of the land is pending before a court of competent jurisdiction, the Nsukka council chairman has started erecting buildings on the disputed land,” she said.
Ugwuodo condemned some individuals from Opi who were allegedly supporting the council chairman to take the community’s land because of their selfish interest and what they were gaining from the chairman. She urged them to rethink to avoid the wrath of God and the gods of the land.
Ugwuodo said: “After marching around in protest, we ended it at this disputed land and prayed so that God who knows the truth and has 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 in the society whenever they call upon Him. We know human beings may fail us but God will not, because He is faithful and a God of justice.”
A youth from the community, Kingsley Ezugwu, lamented that the community was yet to recover from the destruction of their farmlands, buildings, economic trees and other valuables without prior notice or consultation.
“The only land the community gave to government was 4.40 hectares of land given to the Enugu State Customary Court many decades ago, and everybody in the community knows the boundary. We do not know where the council chairman got information to come and lay claim to our ancestral land,” he said.
Ezugwu alleged that some youths who wanted to use their mobile phones to take pictures or video the destruction by the bulldozer on that fateful day were manhandled by security personnel who forcefully collected their phones, and deleted everything, while other phones were smashed.
The youth urged the council boss to learn good leadership and due process from the governor, who, according to him, was presently dualizing the Nike-Opi Nsukka Road, and had “given those whose property are affected first, second and third notice to remove their property, whereas the Nsukka LG chairman did not even give our people 24-hour notice.”
President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Enugu, Justice Nnamani, could not speak on the issues, but Asogwa, the Nsukka council chairman, said that the land in question belonged to the Enugu State Customary Court. He explained that the council reached an agreement with the court before taking over the land for development.
He said: “Nsukka local government did not enter into the Amankwo-Ibeku-Opi ancestral land. You should know that by the Land Use Act 1978, government has right over every piece of 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 using parts of the land.
“This land 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.”
Asogwa denied the allegation that the council did not give the people prior notice before rolling out bulldozer to clear the area.
He said: “We gave them notice last year even before we started fencing Opi Customary Court buildings.”
The state government was yet to react to the petition as at the time of going to press.