Awka- on June 25th The land dispute between Abba Community in Njikoka LGA and Ukpo in Dunukofia LGA of Anambra State yesterday took a different dimension as women of Abba Community led a protest to the State Government House in Awka.

Dressed in black attire and bearing placards with different inscriptions such as “Arthur Eze should invest his wealth in productive venture instead of dispossessing people and communities of their lands”, “Abba is a peaceful town”, “Judiciary should not allow itself to be compromised”, “Enough is Enough”, “We ask for due process in our case”, among others, the protesters chanted protest songs to register their displeasure over what they tagged “use of the Police and Judiciary to dispossess them of their heritage.

Some of the women, Mrs Joy Modilim and Helen Modilim, lamented how they had gone to their usual market, Oye Abba early on the market day, only to meet armed Policemen who asked them to go home.

According to them, when they inquired why, the Armed men said they had orders to make sure that Ukpo community mounted a billboard signifying that the land where the market situates, now belongs to Ukpo Community.

Another protester, Mrs Florence Maduabuchi regretted how the policemen used teargas to disperse the women and arrested about 14 persons from the town including women and children, adding that despite having been granted bail, the Police and a certain judiciary personnel, had made it impossible for the bail conditions to be perfected.

“Our women were beaten, school children were shot with teargas just because we wanted to know why we were not allowed to do our normal market business. All the wares we took to the market were all destroyed all for no just cause. That is why we are calling on the State Governor, Chief Willie Obiano to harken to our cry and rescue us from our oppressors. We are peace-loving people and that is why we have not taken laws into our hands. We gave the governor landslide victory in our town during his reelection and this is the time for him to show us that the confidence we reposed in him with our votes, is not misplaced’, she concluded.

For a stakeholder in the community, Hon Obinna Chukwuma, it is worrisome why their neighbours will be in a hurry to possess the land when the matter is in court and hearing has been fixed for early next month.
He said, “it is imperative to state that both communities have been asked by the Supreme court to go back to the trial court and start afresh since the records of proceedings of an earlier judgement on the matter , is missing. Abba community has obeyed that order of the court and gone back to court but our neighbours for whatever reason, have decided to take the laws into their hands under the protection of persons who feel they are above the law”.

According to him, “all we asking is that due process be followed. Even if at the end of the day, the Court asks us to leave our own ancestral home, we will oblige but let the right thing be done. We appeal to our governor to use his good office to prevail on Ukpo Community to allow the law, take its cause. As I speak now, they have about 30 of our people on their list that they want to arrest just to keep us in perpetual fear. That is why we have come to seek the intervention of the State Government on the matter”.


Rep of Governor Obiano, Mr Chikodi Anarah
Governor Obiano who spoke through his Special Adviser on Security, Safety and Emergency, Mr Chikodi Anara while addressing the protesters, said peace is necessary for the realization of the state government’s lofty grassroots development initiatives.

Commending the community for remaining peaceful so far, the governor urged them to maintain the stance as his government will wade into the matter to avert wanton destruction of lives and property.
He expressed optimism that the matter will be easy to resolve as both communities are not from the same local government and there are designated boundaries for all the LGAs.