Ninety-year-old Anambra resident heads demonstration amid village property disagreement

A 96-year-old man, Elder Stephen Okoye, led a protest on Wednesday, accompanied by hundreds of residents from Umuenu Quarters in Umuawulu, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, against the alleged intervention of the state's Deputy Governor, Dr. Onyekachukwu Ibezim, in a land dispute that they claimed had already been resolved by the Supreme Court.

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The dispute in question revolves around the Agu Umuenu land, which Okoye described as fertile, and has been a point of contention between Umuenu Quarters and Enugwu Quarters for an extended period.

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Okoye, who identified himself as the oldest man in Umuenu Quarters, expressed his dismay at the attempts to take over the land, stating that such actions were unprecedented during his younger years.

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According to Okoye, the land dispute began during the colonial era, and after a prolonged litigation, it was established that Umuenu is the rightful owner of the land, leaving the community surprised that non-indigenous people are now claiming the land.

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Okoye questioned the motives of Enugwu Quarters, who had previously served as witnesses for the people of Awgbu during earlier litigation over the land, and are now laying claim to it and petitioning the Deputy Governor to intervene.

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He accused Enugwu Quarters of attempting to ignite a crisis in Umuawulu, and expressed concern that they are trying to manipulate the issue by using the Deputy Governor, who is responsible for boundary disputes in the state.

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Okoye warned that it is dangerous to twist the matter, and emphasized that the Deputy Governor should not be discussing the sharing of their land after the courts have already made a decision on the matter.

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President of Umuenu Quarters Assembly, Mr. Bernard Mbolu, also spoke out, stating that the dispute had gone through several courts from 1927 before reaching the Supreme Court, which delivered a judgment in favor of Umuenu Quarters in 1963.

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According to Mbolu, Umuenu Quarters are the rightful owners of the land known as Agu Udo Umuoma and Agu Ofuu, which are collectively referred to as Agu Umuenu, and no other quarter had contested the ownership of the land with them until 2020.

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Mbolu explained that during the litigation, Enugwu Quarters had testified in favor of Awgbu, stating that they were the rightful owners of the land, but surprisingly, Enugwu people later invaded the land after testifying that it belonged to Awgbu.

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This led to Umuenu Quarters taking the matter to the Igwe-in-Council, where the then President-General of Umuawulu, Ozo I.K. Nkala, set up a 20-man committee to resolve the issue.

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The committee, which was chaired by Professor Ezenwaji, with Cyril Ezeofor serving as secretary, ultimately decided that the land belongs to Umuenu people, but Enugwu people rejected the decision.

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In 2024, when Umuenu Quarters attempted to farm on the land, they were allegedly attacked by Enugwu people with dangerous weapons, resulting in the death of one of their brothers, Mr. Humphrey Obi, who had sustained severe injuries during the incident.