Soludo, residents bicker over land

From Emmanuel Uzor, Awka

Tension is brewing in Isuaniocha, Awka North Local Government Area of Anambra State following a clash between the Anambra State Housing Corporation and some land owners over a parcel of land allegedly acquired by the state government for development of an estate.

Daily Sun reports that some land owners led by Prof. Steve Unachukwu had accused the state government of encroaching on their lands and demolishing already inhabited structures sitting on over 118.27 hectares within the area.

The group told newsmen that they were land owners who bought their plots of land in 2014 from the natives of Isuaniocha with some of them already effectively occupying the property before the Anambra State Housing Corporation started demolishing their buildings.

They said the people of Isuaniocha had engaged the Corporation in a dialogue with a view to developing the community, and in the process, donated 1,000 plots of land amounting to 54.27 hectares for that purpose.

“Umuneri village mapped out 1,000 plots of land, and pacellated the rest opposite the one they donated to the government for their children, where they will set up their homestead. Some beneficiaries of the land sold their own plots to members of the public. More than 200 persons purchased plots of land from Umuneri; some of them had built structures on their lands.”

The group said things were moving well until 2018 when the Corporation allegedly entered into the land and started demolishing the structures  and effectively occupying the land with security agents.

Unachukwu said despite the consent judgement entered by both parties arising from suit No A/243/2019, the Anambra State Housing Corporation remained on the land and chased away the land owners.

However, the housing corporation denied illegal occupation of the land, saying the land in question was duly acquired from the people of Isuaniocha for the purpose of building an estate. The Head of Public Relations of the Corporation, Mrs. Jane Okafor, said the corporation had acquired the land from the natives, agreement signed and compensation fully paid.

She said some mischievous individuals still went ahead to start selling the land to unsuspecting members of the public after collecting compensation from the estate.

Mrs. Okafor said the Corporation acquired the land many years ago and completed the survey and parcellation before the date being bandied by the protesting group.

She said while the corporation was fulfilling its own part of the agreement of building bridges and linking the community to Awka, some indigenes of the community started selling parts of the estate to some persons.

“The Corporation, when discovered that some people had illegally started developing part of the estate, called on the persons who were illegally developing part of the estate for a meeting and some people came while others refused to come.”