Residents of Ndi Ebe Abam Accused Abia Deputy Governor of Provoking Land Dispute, Cite 2002 Supreme Court Ruling.
Residents of Ndi Ebe Abam Accused Abia Deputy Governor of Provoking Land Dispute, Cite 2002 Supreme Court Ruling.
Lucky Akra
The Residents of Ndi Ebe Abam in Arochukwu local Government area of Abia SState has accused the Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu of improperly intervening in a long settled land dispute with neighbouring Ndi Oji Ugwo Abam, saying recent actions risk reigniting tensions between the communities.
In an open letter to the deputy governor, the group signing as Concerned Citizens of Ndi Ebe Abam,said the land matter was litigated up to the Supreme Court, which delivered a final judgment in their favour in 2002. They said both communities have coexisted peacefully for more than two decades until what they described as a recent attempt to enforce a new survey plan.
The letter alleges that “seven truckloads of armed military personnel were ordered into the peaceful community” to enforce a survey plan which the residents say is inconsistent with the Supreme Court validated judgment.
According to the Concerned Citizens of Ndi Ebe Abam,women and elderly residents fled into bushes and plantations in fear and that some people were injured while running for safety.
“We are not at war. We have never been at war with Ndi Oji Ugwo Abam and we will never be,” the letter stated. It adds, “Killing an Ndi Oji Ugwo man is like killing your own blood,” and stresses shared history, marriages, farms, markets, and family ties between the communities.
The group criticised what it called a one-sided narrative portraying Ndi Ebe Abam as land grabbers,and urged the deputy governor to review the 2002 Supreme Court judgment and the survey plan as issued
They appealed for dialogue before any use of force, insisting that “Supreme Court judgments are final and binding on all authorities and persons.”
“If peace is the objective, dialogue should come before force. If justice is the goal, fair hearing must precede action,” the letter stated also calling on the deputy governor to prevent escalation,withdraw armed presence, and allow the Supreme Court judgment to stand.
The Concerned Citizens also rejected violence, hostility and propaganda, and urged that truth, the rule of law and lasting peace prevail in Abam.
The letter was signed by Concerned Citizens of Ndi Ebe Abam, Arochukwu Local Government Area, Abia State.
The deputy governor’s office had not issued a public response to the allegations at the time the group’s statement was released.
