Protests Rock Anambra Community Over Sale Of Disputed Land As Monarch Backs Developer

ONITSHA – Some youths from the Urum community in Anambra State’s Awka North Local Government Area demonstrated peacefully in opposition to some community leaders’ attempts to thwart an estate development agency’s agreement to undertake residential development.

Addressing members of the Urum Community at the Ochiokwa land, Urum, spokesman for the protesters, Anthony Ekene, stated that the youths are aware that the land in question was not in dispute and was legitimately sold and purchased.

Ekene witnessed the genuine transaction of Ochiokwa land between the Akitim Family and Nwaguatah this year, and he urged opposition groups to give peace a chance.

He urged the opposition group, which included the President-General of the Urum Development Union (UDU), Felix Godwin, and the Vice Chairman of the Urum Land Committee, Jude Ndibe, to support the monarch’s vision and the estate developer’s initiative to transform the community in particular and the state as a whole.

The monarch stated that the President-General’s opposition seeks to disrupt the peace. He explained that Urum and its neighbouring community of Achalla had a dispute over some hectares of land some years back.

The dispute was resolved under the Willie Obiano administration, which revoked the left side and awarded Urum the right side.

According to him, the portion designated for Urum was part of where Nwaguatahihia purchased the hectares of land for which a power of attorney was granted and every other necessary acquisition document was signed or in the works.

The traditional ruler of Urum enthroned on April 8, 1960, is responsible for maintaining culture and traditions, including communal land administration.

He conducted investigations and discovered that Nwaguatahihia Properties Limited purchased the Ochiokwa land from the Iruokpala family, which was not part of the revoked land or in dispute.

Pa Ephraim Anieberem, spokesman for the elders of the Iruokpala family of Akitim Village of Urum, which owned and sold the Ochikwa land, echoed him, accusing the President-general of attempting to incite a crisis in the community.

Ephraim, whose position was supported by another Akitim stakeholder, Michael Chigozie, questioned why the President-General did not question his father’s claim and sale of land credited to the family rather than the community.

In his reaction, Aaron Okafor, Chairman of the community’s Land Committee, told reporters that the committee monitors and investigates requests for land purchases for development..