Anambra widows, others raise alarm over alleged land grabbing

Praise Chinecherem

No fewer than 600 landlords, predominantly women and widows of Nkpika Layout Obosi in Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra State have protested alleged plot by a developer and a popular church to disposes them of their land.

The protesters, under the aegis of Nkpikpa Phase II Landlord Association, now in Ogbaru Local Government Area, blocked the Obosi end of the ongoing 2nd Niger Bridge Road, carrying placards with varying inscriptions.

Some of placards read, “Nkpipa Layout land is not for land grabbers,” “We bought Nkpipa Land as farm lands between 1998 and 2000 not expecting a road passing through it let, alone 2nd Niger Bridge road”, Governor Soludu avert brake down of law and order the immediate past government tried to plant for your administration,” among others.

Addressing newsmen, Chairman of Umuabua Family Obosi, one of the land owners, Onyedika Abanobi appealed to Governor Soludo, Chiefs of Army and Naval Staff, to prevail on their Commanders in Onitsha to withdraw their men allegedly being used to intimidate them from farming in their land.

He said, “A particular land developer with the help of the military in early part of 2022, entered into the land and started clearing it, and when we approached him to know who authorized him, he claimed that the immediate past government gave him Certificate of Occupancy to the land.

“We don’t have any business with any developer or church as far as our lands are concerned. Members of the Landlord Association agreed and we sold our land to them and since 1998 and 2000 the transaction was done, we have no problem with them, we have been relating like families and they have been cooperating with us.

“We started having intruders and trespassers into our land particularly the ones sold to the Nkpika Landlords Association since 2022 when the 2nd Niger Bridge road crossed the land. Having seen development nobody expected is coming to Nkpikpa Layout, they want to disposes poor men, women and widows of the land, we will never accept that.”

On his part, Chairman of the Nkpikpa Landlords Association, Victor Azubike appealed to Soludo to intervene in commencement of construction project in the land, saying they would not live to see anybody disposses them of their over 25 years legitimately acquired property.

Spokesperson for the women, Mrs. Constance Nsofor said, “We bought the land from our Obosi landlords, made up of Umuabua, Anikpee and Umuezechima families, as a farming land between 1998 to 2000, without any knowledge that a road will ever pass through the land let alone 2nd Niger Bridge road that divides the land now.”

“We have been farming in the land over 25 years now, planting yam, cassava and harvesting the palm fruits. For one day, nobody, including our landlords have disturbed us. 

“We were however surprised that a man came from nowhere and started clearing and selling our land claiming to have been given C of O by the immediate past government.

“We are appealing to Governor Soludo, Army and Navy authorities to halt the intimidation we have been subjected to. We are poor women and widows and proceeds from the land is all we use in taking care of our children.”