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From Jude Chinedu, Enugu
Tension is brewing in Akpugo, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, as members of the Umuedenwoko family have accused the police of attempting to take over their ancestral land at Ngene Ugbogbo, despite a subsisting court judgment in their favour.
Leaders of the family, who visited the land, at the weekend, said they were shocked to find a police signboard erected on the property, indicating that it had been designated for a “Police Property Limited Project,” a development they described as intimidation and a disregard for due process.
Secretary of the Umuedenwoko Family Union, Chief Ikem Okenwa, said the land belonged to the family “from time immemorial,” adding that it was surveyed in 1978 and granted a customary right of occupancy in 1993.
He said the dispute over the land began years ago when plans emerged to relocate a police secondary school from Ubahu to the Ngene Ugbogbo land, a move the family resisted in court.
“This land, Ngene Ugbugbo, situated in Akpugo in Nkanu West, ab initio belongs to the Umuedenwoko family. It was surveyed in 1978 and we obtained customary right of occupancy in 1993. Over time, political and traditional boundary adjustments created new autonomous communities, but this land has remained ours,” Okenwa said.
He alleged that the land was earmarked for a police secondary school covering about 36.15 hectares, which he described as excessive and suspicious.
“They brought the idea of relocating a police secondary school here from Ubahu and marked out about 36.15 hectares of our land. Even UNN or UNEC does not occupy that kind of land space. We saw it as intimidation and conspiracy. So, we went to court in 2011 to challenge it,” he stated.
Okenwa said the legal battle lasted over a decade until 2023 when the court delivered judgment in favour of the family.
“In Suit No: HAGB/1/2011/, His Worship A.O. Anidi gave judgment annulling the purported acquisition and declared it illegal. The judgement was delivered on June 14, 2023. That judgment affirmed that this land belongs to the Umuedenwoko family. So we came back to reclaim our land only to see a police signboard, claiming this place as a Police Property Limited Project. It is unheard of. What kind of intimidation is this?
“We are law-abiding people. Do they expect us to resort to self-help because of this intimidation? We believe in justice. If anybody needs land, they should come and negotiate with us, and not attempt to take it by force,” he added.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Umuedenwoko Family, Akpugo, Enugu Branch, Ikechukwu Nnamokoh, said members of the family were pained by what they described as a fresh attempt to take over the land without their knowledge.
“These people you see here are members of the Umuedenwoko family. We came here to access our ancestral land. This was where my uncle’s house stood before it was demolished. Suddenly, we saw police hoisting a signpost, claiming this place was given to them for a police secondary school. Nobody informed us. Nobody discussed it with us,” he said.
He explained that the family had earlier engaged the police and, subsequently, went to court when the matter could not be resolved amicably.
“We went to court in 2011 and remained in court until 2023. The court gave judgment in our favour, clearly stating that this land is Umuedenwoko land. That is why we are here today. We do not know the people claiming this land. We are only seeing signposts. This development is strange to us because we did not negotiate with anybody,” Nnamokoh said.
The family called on relevant authorities to respect the court judgment and prevent any action that could lead to a breakdown of law and order in the area.
