Enugu community vows to resist intimidation, harassment by Ex-Minister over land


THE Nkomoro Onuogba Nike community in Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu State, have appealed to the former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji not to allow himself to be deceived into transacting any land business with anybody on a disputed Azunweke land, in which they have been in court with one Titus Onyebuchi Aninta, since 2016.

Nkomoro community while addressing newsmen in Nnewi, through their lawyer Rev. Barr, Jesse Daniel Onuigbo, and the community’s President General, Mr Okechukwu Onole, said that they will not succumb to intimidation and harassment from influential people while fighting for their right, adding that until the cases concerning the land are completed in the courts, anybody transacting any business concerning the land is wasting his or her time and money.

The alleged that the last time the saw the former Minister of Power at the land, that he claimed that he bought the land from their opponent in court, and they told him that the land is in dispute and currently pending in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court respectively and therefore could not have been legally sold to him.

According to Nkomoro Onuogba Nike community, “The former Minister is a man we love and respect in Enugu State, Igbo land and Nigeria, he is neither a party in the two Suits over Azunweke land, still pending in Court of Appeal Enugu and Supreme Court, and we do not expect him to be deceived into engaging in any transaction over the land that is in dispute, and pending in the courts, let alone taking law into his hand by carrying out demolition there.

According to Rev. Barr, Onuigbo, "Nkomoro community, is Court of Appeal, with the Suit No. CA/E/374/2016, with parties as Mr Cletus Egbee and 16 others, against Mr Titus Onyebuchi Alinta, and two others, and in the Supreme Court with Suit Number: SC/402/2024/ with Onuogba Nike Community, and until the matter is sorted out in the courts, anybody transacting any business concerning the land is engaging in a wild goose chase and exercise in futility."

"Yesterday Monday September 9, 2024, some people allegedly on the orders of a former the Minister of Power went to Azunweke land in Nkomoro community and started demolishing houses and destrotibg cash crops belonging to people of Nkomoro community on the disputed Azunweke land, with the claim that the forner Minister bought the land from a party in Suit at the Court of Appeal, Mr Titus Onyebuchi Aninta.

"We wondered how the former Minister whom we hold in high esteem will go and buy Azunweke land that is dispute. from Mr Alinta, when the cases concerning the land are still pending in the courts. We are still wondering how that could be done by an enlightened person, if not to use intimidation and harassment to take the land from our community.

“We are therefore, warning that Nkomoro community will not tolerate any act of intimidation by anybody no matter his position in Nigeria, using Police or armed security agents to demolish if houses and destroy our cash crops on our ancestral land cannot make us succumb to running away form our land.

"We have challenged the claimants, in the court and the former Minister is not part of the parties in both Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, so he should wait for the matters to be decided in the court before engaging in any transaction with any body in the land.

“We want to emphasize that Nkomoro community is currently in Court of Appeal with Mr Alinta, over the land, while in Supreme Court with Onuogba Nike community over the same disputed land, we wonder why anybody no matter his position will engage in lawless demolition of peoples property over a disputed land, whose case have not been concluded in the court.

“We as a community will not be intimidated into submitting our land to anybody no matter his position in Enugu State and Nigeria, as a former Minister in Nigeria, we do not expect him or anybody to be deceived into buying a disputed land from anybody. We expect rich and influential people to be law abiding and always respect the law. Nobody has the right to sell or buy a disputed land that its cases are pending in the courts.

“We the Nkomoro community have to this end appealed to the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah and the Inspector General of Police, to prevail on the Enugu State Police Command to stop further destruction of houses and properties by anybody in the disputed Azunweke land, until the cases are decided by the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court"

Another one.