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From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
The land grabbing dispute in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area of Anambra State, between the Okwesi family and the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Pineleaf Estate, Bishop Onyeka Nzekwesi, has taken a new turn with the arrest of three men allegedly in possession of illegal firearms.
The men, reportedly led by one Gozie from Ifitedunu, were arrested by the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Special Squad with two pump-action rifles.
The Okwesi family, through their leader, Chief Charles Okwesi, had written a petition and called on the IGP to intervene, accusing Bishop Nzekwesi of using soldiers, Rapid Response Squad (RRS) operatives—formerly known as the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS)—and other security personnel to intimidate and harass them over their ancestral land.
Charles alleged that Bishop Nzekwesi and his associates falsely labeled them as kidnappers and Unknown Gunmen (UGM) to seize the disputed land. He further claimed that Nzekwesi initially entered into agreements with people who were not the rightful landowners.
Upon realizing this, he said, Nzekwesi resorted to coercion to force the Okwesi family into the deal.
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“There is no room to accommodate Bishop Nzekwesi’s Pineleaf Estate,” Charles said. “We have been negotiating with other developers. He should leave our land. He should carry his bulldozer and get out. We don’t want to sell the land to him.”
When contacted for a response, Bishop Nzekwesi denied any complicity in the arrest and land sale dispute.
“The people they arrested were not working for me. They are people from Ifitedunu who elected to guard the place on their own. The land in question belongs to three communities of Awkuzu, Ifitedunu and Umunya. I’ve settled the three owners in the interest of peace but the Okwesi family are playing games over the deal. This is not a case of land grabbing but a matter of greed by some people to keep on demanding money even when they have been settled” Bishop Nzekwesi said.
Police Public Relations Officer, Anambra State Command, Ikenga Tochi said when contacted said he would investigate the exact position of the matter in due course.
