The Umuezubuoke Umualor community in Isiuzo Local Government Area is urgently calling on the government to intervene in a land dispute involving 29,000 hectares, claimed by Dr. Peter Mba and allegedly encroached upon by the Amankanu community.
The seven villages of Umuezuboke Umualor, which include Odobido, Ikeagwu, Ugwuakparata, Agodoenyi, Egerum, Igboetiti, and Igbogobe, are historically recognized as the ancestral home of the Umuezuboke Umualor people.
Hope Ede, the National President of the Umuezuboke Development Union, addressed journalists in Abuja, emphasizing the need for immediate government action to prevent the displacement of over 11,000 Umualor residents. He accused HRH Benneth Ikenna Ofornweke, the traditional ruler of the Amankanu community in Nkanu East LGA, of inciting inter-communal conflict by falsely claiming ownership of the land and selling it to Dr. Peter Mba.
“There has never been a time in history when the Amankanu people occupied any part of our land,” Ede stated, highlighting the ongoing crisis over the sale of the 29,000 hectares. He accused Chief Ofornweke of selling their ancestral land without consent and attempting to forcefully evacuate the Umuezuboke Umualor community, referencing a 1979 civil suit which he claimed recognized their ownership.
Ede detailed a violent attack on June 15, 2024, where armed individuals from the Amankanu community allegedly invaded Umuezuboke Umualor, injuring several residents, including Ejiagbo Meletus and Osmond Ejiota, with others sustaining machete wounds.
He urged the state governor to address the provocation and clarify the boundary disputes, which lie along Ogbubia/Ururu Akpaa/Ishiuho Amede/Ubegu in the east and Ora River to Agbogazi Nike in the north.
Reactions
In response, Chief Benneth Ofornweke acknowledged the land dispute but insisted that legal proceedings had favored the Amankanu community. He stated, “We went to court and won. We sold part of the land to Dr. Peter Mba because it belongs to us. We inherited it from our forefathers and have the land documents to prove it. If the Umualor community wanted the land, they should have negotiated rather than resorting to conflict. We are a peace-loving people and believe in dialogue and the rule of law.”
New Land Owner
Anthony Okonkwo, the personal assistant to Governor Peter Mba, reiterated that the land in question was legally purchased and that all transactions were conducted in accordance with the law.
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