Achalla Community Begs Soludo to Intervene in Land Dispute with Amanuke

The People of Umunagu village Achalla, in Awka North Local government area have appealed to the Anambra state to avert a looming communal Clash between them and Amanuke community.

The appeal followed an encroachment on a portion of land belonging to Achalla by some land speculators in Amanuke.

In an interview with THE RAZOR NEWS, the elders of Umuanagu village said there was urgent need for the State government through its relevant authorizes to urgently intervene by calling the land grabbers to order in the interest of peace and security of lives and property.

One of them, a 90 years old man, Mr Mkpuora Nnazuo narrated they had been in occupation of the said land since time immemorial until recently when some elements began to encroach and sell portions of the land .

Another Community leader, Chief Paul Ejike narrated that the portion of land which falls close to the boundary between the two communities was contested for in court for over twenty five years,a case that the Achalla community won at various courts.

Chief Ejike noted that the elders had recently met with some community leaders in Amanuke over the land grabbers activities, but the leaders explained that they were not in support or part of any discussion to encroach into the land which belonged to Umunagu village, Achalla.

He therefore appealed to the Governor Soludo-led administration to urgently look into the matter to avoid unwarranted clash between famers in the area and their neighboring brothers.

The former president general of Achalla, described as unfair and unacceptable for few individuals who feel that they were smart would turn and be selling neighboring communal land just to make quick money and cause problem for the society.

“We have the place called Nobi land, and we share boundaries with Amanuke, well defined demarcation. Between 1913 and 1937 we had issues over the said portion of land and the matter went up to supreme court.”

“And we won in all the court cases including the one at High Court Onitsha. After the 1937 judgment which was in Favour of Umunagu village Achalla, we erected necessary beckons showing the size and boundary of the land. Since that time, we have been farming on the land while our neighbors in Amanuke have also been on their own portion. Not until about two to three years ago when some individual elements began to encroach on the land and started selling it to people this year. We had to send elders to meet the stakeholders in Amanuke who denied involvement in the development noting that they were not in support of the land grabbers. Suddenly we started seeing pegs round the land, we erected signpost to alert unsuspecting buyers, the group went and removed and carried it away. We are appealing to the state government to come and look into the matter as we have every document showing the land belongs to us.”

Other respondents while condemning the act, advised estate developers and realtors to always confirm the authenticity of property offered to them for sale, to avoid falling into the wrong hands.