Police wade into Anambra land dispute, call for peace

The Anambra State Police command has promised to end the protracted land grabbing allegation that is rocking Nimo Community in Njikoka local government area of the state.

Some youths in the community have been challenging the community’s leaders who they accused of sharing the large expanse of the community’s land among themselves.

Some of the youths and women had carried out protests at the Government House, Awka and threatened to cause mayhem in the area if the leaders do not desist from the action.

At the weekend, about 800 women from the community stormed the Anambra State Police headquarters, Awka and reported the matter to the police command.

They carried placards with various inscriptions such as; “Soludo Nimo needs your help, please save us”; “All manner of impunity must stop in Nimo”;, “Our Igwe, PG and Nimo Royal cabinet have no respect for Nimo Constitution”; and “Nigeria Police please give us justice”

Their spokesperson, Ebele Okochi said their visit was to seek protection, alleging that they were being harassed because of complaint about the activities of their leaders.

She said: “Our people are being arrested and tortured on daily basis, while some are even handcuffed because they expressed their displeasure over the land grabbing attitude of our leaders.

“Vigilante operatives are used as private army of the Igwe to harass and seize properties of individuals. Our people are being arrested for the flimsiest excuses and handed over to the police where they spend large sums of money to bail themselves.

“Our leaders negotiated with our neighbouring town of Eziowelle Community and ceded about 264 plots of land owned by individuals to them without the consent and knowledge of the owners.

“Our Igwe did this because he believes that as the traditional ruler, he can take over people’s land and do whatever he pleases with it. This, to our view, is high-handedness and an abuse of trust by the Monarch.

“As a result of the illegal land transactions, the youths of Nimo Community whose families depend on these lands for their survival and sustenance, are highly provoked. This has largely been the cause of the crisis in Nimo, which has not abated since January 2023.

“The crisis is getting worse because rather than retrace their steps and stop selling the land, both the PG and Igwe have resorted to writing frivolous petitions against those who oppose the sale. They frame up people who complain and dub them as kidnappers, cultists and arsonists.

“We no longer go to the farm because all the land have been sold off. This year, we did not get corn, cassava, palm oil because they have seized all the community land. As we speak, they have sold more 200 plots of land at the rate of N3.1 million each.

“To further consolidate their sale of the land, the PG issued a written public notice to the effect that people are no longer allowed to go to their farms. The directive, which seeks to stop farming activities, is a breach of people’s fundamental right.

“If we continue to tell you what has been happening in Nimo in the past three years, you will think that we are telling fairy stories from some strange story books, yet the atrocities and impunity by the leadership of Nimo don’t seem to get better as the days go by.

“No individual has the right and power to claim ownership of community assets because he is the traditional ruler of the town.

“We also want the Police to stop coming to Nimo to arrest our innocent people. Let us have peace in Nimo”.

The state Deputy Police Commissioner in-charge of operations, Mr. Ibrahim Ezekiel, who addressed them commended them for remaining peaceful.

The DCP assured them that the command under CP Adeoye Aderemi will wade into the crisis with a view to resolving it once and for all.

“We will wade into the land and other leadership crisis currently rocking your community to see how we can help resolve the unrest. Justice will surely take it course. You will have your peace by the grace of God. You will cry no more”, he told the women.

He informed them that the command will invite them with the other faction for mediation in no distance time.