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From Emmanuel Uzor, Awka
The lingering land dispute involving Obunagu Achalla of Ezinano-Enugu Agidi in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State has taken another dimension following the alleged kidnap of one Ozoemena Okeke by yet-to- be identified persons.
Okeke who is the chairman of Obinagu Achalla, who regained his freedom, further narrated frightening plot allegedly by some of his kinsmen to kill him.
He disclosed that at the centre of the grouse of those after his life remains his dogged fight to prevent them from illegal and corrupt sales of large acres of land belonging to the four villages that make up Ezinano-Enugwu Agidi town.
Okeke revealed startling incidents that led to his kidnap twice between last year 2023 and 2024, saying that it was God who saved his life, apart from payment of ransom to suspected Fulani herders.
He accused four of his kinsmen of working in secret alliance with suspected Fulani herdsmen to eliminate him by all means for being a “stumbling block to their grand design to continue to appropriate parts of the land and sell same to highest bidders while the community and its people continue to wallow in abject poverty”
“My first experience was on October 17, 2023. It was the initial period the road in front of my house was being graded which they claimed that I sold the land to Ozo Jeff Nweke. These people invited the Fulani people to kidnap me so that I would bring out the money suspected to have paid for the land.”
“I think this set of Fulanis are poor because they collected all my food stuff including garri, palm oil, salt among others. They discovered that I had only #22.00 in my bank account through phone and no other bank accounts. They wondered where the money they claimed that I realized from the land should be. They concluded it was mere allegation and I was freed.”
“The second invasion was in August 2024, after the peace meeting with my people, the Fulani kidnappers invaded my house again around 4pm that day and took me into the bush to Urum in Awka North local district before proceeding towards one shrine in Ukwulu. I stayed three days before they released me.”
Reacting to the allegations, the chairman of Obunagu-Achalla, Mr. Emeka Ementa denied any link with Fulani herders to kidnap Okeke at any given time nor have any knowledge about the incident.
He admitted that the community at a meeting under his leadership agreed to suspend and ostracize Okeke and others for their sabotage of the corporate existence of the community by aligning with Ezinano Awka community on the controversial peace deal with Obunagu-Achalla village in Enugwu Agidi Community over their land.
“Well, I don’t have any contact with any kidnapping syndicate, I don’t even intend to. I am only saying that he (Ozoemena) should change his way of life; he has been known for this over years. The community only took normal cautions of the community to suspend him from our meetings and other activities. It was at a general meeting, not personal to me. So, I wouldn’t think and I never thought about that. Why would I kidnap him, for what?
