₦airaland Forum

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A two time governor of Rivers state and minister of the Federal Republic cannot afford a house? Feed us intelligently na, abegggg. All these gist is mere distraction.

If happens to be Obi, you would sing a different song.

Hypocrites!

Prof. Barth Nnaji, with due respect, your narrative is not the truth. Let’s set the records straight:

1. The original owners of the land are the Onuogba people, not you.

2. In 1958, Onuogba people gave land to Nkomoro Onuogba people to live on, with a written agreement to that effect.

3. Long before your involvement, parts of this land were already in dispute between the original owners and our people.


4. Chief Alinta may have bought some land near the area, but by influence, he extended boundaries to include land we were already living on.

5. The dispute with Onuogba people started in 1974 - we are not “recent settlers” as you allege.

6. Question: How can someone sell or obtain a Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) on land that is in active dispute? Under the doctrine of lis pendens, such transactions are invalid. Any C of O issued over disputed land is null and void in the eyes of the law.

7. Before your claimed purchase in 2005, the land was already in court. You cannot feign ignorance.

8. In 2013, judgment was delivered when our people were not present in court. You then used that to move in.

9. In 2014, you demolished houses worth hundreds of millions, without our knowledge of the judgment. When we became aware, we filed an appeal, which is still pending.

10. In spite of this, you returned in September 2024 and carried out fresh demolitions while the matter is still in court.

11. Your claim that we agreed to take money from you is a lie. Nobody can negotiate compensation on a matter still before the courts.

12. Dragging the name of Bishop Onaga into this as cover is dishonest. The Bishop never brokered such a deal with us.

13. You further alleged that we threatened people as ESN members - that is false. Each time you demolished our homes and left many homeless, even with people dying from shock, we never attacked you or anyone with you.

14. On the alleged death of Mr. Sunday Ozoemene - he was our brother. We never killed him. If we did not kill you or your workers after destroying our properties, why should we kill our own brother? He was not the first from our community to oppose us, and none has ever been harmed. We do not kill our brothers.

15. Finally, of all the lands in Enugu, why is it this very land - the one in active dispute - that you chose for your so-called “power project”? The reason is simple: you are playing a mind game. By mentioning a power project, you want Nigerians to think the people of Nkomoro Onuogba are blocking progress. That is false. We are only protecting our ancestral homes and a matter still in court.

Is it legal to buy, sell, or even obtain a C of O on land that is in active dispute?

Why do you keep using money and influence to forcefully dispossess people instead of channeling your resources into developing Nkanu and Enugu for the benefit of all?

Your antecedents - in Ekpofu, and now Nike - speak louder than your press statements.

SmartPolician:
We have heard from one party. Let's hear the professor's side of the story. That's how a sane mind makes an informed judgment.

You are absolutely right – fairness requires hearing all sides. But here are the facts:

1. The land is still in active court dispute.
2. Prof. Nnaji is not a party to that original case.
3. Despite this, he has demolished properties twice (2014 & 2024).
4. He carries out these actions with heavy police presence, which no private citizen should command against a community.
5. And his antecedents speak volumes: many in Enugu recall the Umuode/Oruku communal conflict, where Nnaji allegedly was widely identified as an instigator.

So we ask: Why is he doing this? He allegedly grabbed land in Akpugo and Ekpofu and the people resisted him. Now it is in Nike. Why not channel his resources into developing Nkanu and Enugu so citizens can benefit, instead of going round grabbing lands and causing conflicts?

So while he is free to state his side, his actions speak louder than words – repeatedly violating the law and people’s rights while a case is in court.

We welcome his explanation, but in the meantime, we demand the rule of law, not the rule of power and bulldozers.

atiku4President:
What is it that this man has with land disputes? Probably, he never owned a piece of land in his first life. And come to think of how most professors from Enugu and Anambra are getting involved in petty prejudice, especially the one they call Governor in Anambra state.

This man is evil. This is the same thing he did in Umuode and oruku in Enugu East, Enugu. He's the cause of the communal conflict that's in this place for long.

For too long, our community, Nkomoro Onuogba Nike, Enugu East LGA, Enugu, has endured in silence as our rights, lands, and dignity have been trampled upon by Professor Bartholomew Nnaji, the former Minister of Power – a man who presents himself as a national figure but behaves like a local land baron. It is time to break that silence.

In 2014, without provocation, Professor Nnaji demolished properties belonging to members of our community. Despite the pain, we chose peace. Again in 2024, he returned with even more aggression, repeating his unlawful actions. Once more, we refrained from taking the law into our hands, believing the courts would deliver justice.

The land in question is under active legal dispute, one that has been ongoing 90's, when our community was dragged into a case by one Alinta, a former NNPC surveyor. Professor Nnaji, fully aware of this dispute, reportedly bought the land in 2005. He is not even a party to the original suit. Yet, he has taken it upon himself to destroy properties on a land tied up in a legal matter currently before the Appeal Court in Enugu State.

Professor Nnaji claims he wants to use the land for a power project. But the truth is clear: there is no shortage of land in Enugu State for such a project. Why then did he choose only this parcel of land, one that has been in dispute for decades? The answer is obvious – this land is located in a fast-developing area, and his interest is driven not by the power project he brandishes as a cover, but by the lure of prime real estate and personal gain.

Worse still, Professor Nnaji never acts alone. Each time he commits these unlawful demolitions, arriving with personnel drawn from almost all divisions in Enugu State. This blatant misuse of state security forces to intimidate and oppress a peaceful community is a dangerous abuse of power.

This disregard for the rule of law is unacceptable. When people begin to feel that the courts cannot protect them, that power and money override justice, unrest becomes inevitable. We are warning now – Professor Bartholomew Nnaji’s continued encroachment, aided by the police, risks igniting communal conflict. We do not want that. We want peace. But peace cannot thrive where there is lawlessness.

We therefore call on all stakeholders – the Enugu State Government, traditional rulers, civil society organizations, the media, and above all the judiciary – to intervene and call Professor Bartholomew Nnaji to order. No one is above the law, no matter how powerful they may appear.

Enough is enough.

While serving in Lagos, I had a terrible experience with my cousin in 2023.

It was late and he's into auto repair. I went to his shop from my work place when I close. There was much work load and most of the vehicle owners needed their vehicles for the year's Christmas celebration. This caused us to stay late outside into the night as he was trying to meet up with demands.

On our way back home from the hi work place, we were accosted in a commando like style by armed men dressed in black tops and a danfo that is not branded with any police identity. They started beating us while trying to force us into the vehicle without asking us any questions.

I tried resisting because I thought they were kidnappers but I received serious beating that I couldn't even know when I was handcuffed. I was so mad. we were forced into the danfo. We saw other few people who had been met with the same terrible treatment.

While on their vehicle , I told them that they're criminals. I asked if it's wrong to be walking late at night and why they didn't ask us where we were coming from. I said all I think I could to let them know that what they're doing is wrong.

I was mad but it could have been worse. They could have done worse to me and cover it up with their usual lies which Nigerian Police are very good at.

When we got to the station, I did not stop. I continued to tell them what they're doing is criminal and they could have done better. How can you become a terror to those you were meant to protect?

Also, there was an incident at the station. I picked my phone to report what was happening to me to our corpers whatsapp group. One of them saw me and tried to forcefully take my phone which I refused. He started beating me and I told him his saving grace is that he's in a police uniform. That he can't dare do anything were we to be outside. Another policeman who saw what was happening tried to fight the man on my behalf and told him to stop beating me.

It was a terrible experience and I had to send another cousin money to bail us the next day before the lawyers could show up.

Nigeria Police are becoming criminals and a terror to those they're meant to protect and it's worse in Lagos. This happened along Lekki to Wow express road , and the police officers belong to Elemoro division that's stationed along the same road.

My advice is this, if you can, get a lawyer or you can jointly with friends get personal lawyers for yourselves. Don't try to resist arrest even when it's illegal. When given the chance, contact your lawyer and have things sorted out. But the sad thing about this advice is that law doesn't work in Nigeria and more often than not, the police always get away with these criminal actions.