Residents of Ubahu Community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State have raised concerns over alleged large-scale land grabbing on their ancestral land, calling on the state government to step in and prevent possible unrest.
Key Highlights:
Some of the placards read: “We Have No Place to Farm Due to Activities of Unknown Land Grabbers” and “Our Land Is Completely Taken Over By Alleged Different Government Officials Without Due Consultation.”
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Other inscriptions stated: “Our Houses Are Marked for Demolition, Farmlands Forcefully Taken and Plans to Chase Us Out from Our Ancestral Land” as well as “We Have No Place to Farm and Hunger Is Taking Over Ubahu.”
Speaking during the protest, the acting Youth Leader of the community, Mazi Chukwuebuka Nnaji, said the situation had thrown the community into confusion, alleging that the people behind the land acquisition had yet to properly identify themselves or explain their intentions.
According to him, land acquisition for development projects should normally follow a transparent and coordinated process involving consultations with affected communities.
“The current situation, where different unidentified persons are occupying portions of land across the community, is unacceptable,” he said.
Nnaji expressed concern that community leaders and stakeholders had not been formally informed about the activities.
“We understand that the government has authority over land, but ancestral landowners and community stakeholders should be adequately carried along before such actions are taken,” he added.
Also speaking, a women leader in the community, Ma Ugochi Uzoma, lamented that many residents, including widows, had allegedly been displaced from the farmlands they depend on for survival.
She further claimed that some houses had recently been marked for demolition, allegedly to create more space for the land acquisition.
“The people behind these actions appear determined to push us out of our ancestral homes and farmlands,” she said while appealing for intervention from relevant authorities.
Ubahu Community shares a boundary with Owo community, the hometown of Peter Mbah.
