Protest broke out in the early hours of Tuesday morning in Akaeze, Ebonyi State, as hundreds of men and women took to the streets to accuse Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru and the Executive Chairman of Ivo Local Government Area (LGA), Hon. Emmanuel Ajah, of attempting to “collect their land.”
The protest follows a long-standing and often violent land dispute between two communities in the region, Ogwor in Ishiagu and Umuobor in Akaeze, over a piece of land known as the Elueke land. This dispute has led to multiple deaths, including the tragic loss of four lives last month, which further ignited tensions in the area.
The protesters, chanting and marching from Eluegu Umobor to other parts of Akaeze, carried placards with inscriptions like “Governor Nwifuru, Leave Our Land Alone” and “Our Land Is Not For Sale,” expressing their anger and frustration at the ongoing land conflict.
The Elueke land has been at the centre of a bitter and unresolved conflict between the Ogwor and Umuobor communities for decades. The dispute became particularly intense after three individuals from the Umuobor community were killed last month while attempting to harvest yams on the contested land. The deaths of these individuals, who were part of a group that entered the disputed land, added fuel to the already simmering tensions between the two communities.
The long-standing dispute has been the subject of numerous legal battles, and in 1991, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled in favour of Umuobor, declaring them the rightful owners of the Elueke land. However, despite the court’s ruling, the conflict has persisted, with both sides engaging in periodic attacks and reprisals. This ongoing violence has led to the loss of many lives and increased animosity between the two communities.
The situation escalated last year, prompting the Ebonyi State government to declare the disputed land a buffer zone, in an attempt to stop further violence. A committee was also set up to mediate the dispute and find a lasting solution. However, despite efforts to quell the violence, the killings have continued, with both sides seemingly unwilling to accept the court’s ruling.
The protest in Akaeze was sparked by the Governor’s refusal to accept the Supreme Court’s judgment, according to sources in the community. According to the source “There’s a peaceful protest going on currently in Akaeze because the Ebonyi State Governor insisted that he won’t work with the Supreme Court judgment over the disputed Elueke land, thereby drowning his own map, which divides the land into two and gives it to the people of Ogwor Ishiagu.”
The protesters, who expressed their dissatisfaction with the ongoing situation, marched through the streets chanting songs of solidarity and calling for the government to stop what they believed was an attempt to seize their land. They argued that the state government’s actions were not in line with the Supreme Court’s ruling, and that the people of Umuobor were being denied their rightful ownership of the land.
The distraught protesters showed their frustration, with some of them visibly angered by what they saw as the government’s interference in the land dispute. One protester, said: “We have been oppressed for so long. This land belongs to us, and we will not sit back and let anyone take it away from us.”
Hon. Emmanuel Ajah, the Executive Chairman of Ivo LGA, denied the allegations that he or the state government was trying to take the land. Ajah claimed he was not aware of the protest and rejected the accusations of attempting to “collect” the disputed land.
“All we want in Akaeze is peace. We don’t want war,” he said. “The allegation of trying to collect their land is false. Those sponsoring them should stop because there is no gain in what they are doing.”
Similarly, Honourable Jude Chikadibia Okpor, the Honourable Commissioner for Information in Ebonyi State, also denied the claims made by the protesters. “Governor Nwifuru does not need anybody’s land, let alone trying to collect a land that is in dispute in Akaeze,” Okpor stated. “The Governor has been doing his best for peace to return to Akaeze because there is no gain in fighting.”
Okpor further clarified that the Governor had attempted to mediate the situation, inviting both parties to the negotiation table. He also stressed that if the communities continued to refuse to make peace, the government had the right to retrieve the land and use it for the benefit of the entire state. “The Governor has the power to retrieve the land and use it for the interest of the whole state,” he said.
Despite the Supreme Court ruling in favour of Umuobor in 1991, the conflict has shown no signs of abating. Both communities have continued to engage in violent clashes, leading to the deaths of many individuals on both sides. The killings last month, which included the deaths of three individuals from Umuobor, were a stark reminder of the ongoing violence and the deep-rooted animosity that still exists.
