CENTENARY WAR: AMECHI UWANI FINGERS ENUGU POLICE, ECTDA IN LAND GRABBING

In another turn of events in the now protracted battle of ownership and control of the Centenary City in Enugu, the Concerned Kindred Families of Amechi Uwani Awkunanaw, has pushed a strongly worded petiton to the House of Representatives Committee on Public Complaints to demand the investigation and disciplining of some police officers who they strongly allege have been aiding, abetting and participating in the land grabbing bazaar seen to be taking place at the ever volatile and dangerous New Town project in Enugu.

In a strongly worded petition signed by leaders of the various kindred families, being the original owners-by-inheritance-from-time-immemorial, they unequivocally state, "we, the concerned kindred families of Amechi Uwani, Enugu South LGA, Enugu, Enugu State, under the leadership of Sir Richard Nnabuchi Nnamani, KJW (Onodugo), being the owners of the various lands originally known as Agbana, Onuogboekwu, Ohuede, Ogboekwu, Onuogbudene, Ogbudene, Isu Avu, Ururor Orji, Onu Uzam, Onu Ayo, and Egu Amegu, which lands form part of the contentious ‘Centenary City’, having earlier appeared on Msrch 19, 2024 before this respectable Committee of the House as Petitioners, and having made our submission/presentation in respect thereof, do in furtherance of the above, wish to send this amendment to you in order to streamline our case before you for the sake of clarity and unhindered justice, that is to say:

We wish to state clearly that issues bordering on ownership of our land purportedly nicknamed the ‘Centenary City’ is currently subject of pending suits before the High Court of Enugu State in SUIT NO. E/935/2023 BETWEEN SIR RICHARD N. NNAMANI & 17 ORS AND PRIVATE ESTATE INTERNATIONAL WEST AFRICA LIMITED and SUIT NO. E/306/2022 BETWEEN SIR RICHARD N. NNAMANI & 18 ORS AND DIGITAL CRYPTO LTD & ANOR."

They further stated that "in the latter suit, there is a subsisting order of court restraining the Commissioner of Police, Enugu State, from assisting or being used by the land grabbers against the interest of the community. 

"However, the crux of this matter and the reason for crying out is that notwithstanding the pendency of these suits our community are still faced with all sorts of oppressive acts by some officials of the Enugu State, particularly the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), acting in concert with some obviously compromised police officers who may, or, rather, who have benefitted from the illegal sales and sharing of our ancestral land. 

It is difficult to comprehend or fathom why the ECTDA instead of awaiting the outcome of the pending suits in respect of the land in question, still went ahead to issue Demolition Notice, and did on 03/05/2023 begin the demolition of our houses despite being aware, having been notified and consistently reminded that such act is subjudice and contemptuous. Such rascality ought not to be allowed to go unpunished or without a voice of reprimand as underpinned by the principles of the rule of law."

Praying the HOR for protection against the persons they considered as predators, they cried, "please, you protect us against the most vicious land grabbing spree, and illegal acquisition of our ancestral lands followed by reprehensible demolitions perpetrated against us, first by Private Estates International West Africa (PEIWA), led by one Kingsley Eze with his armed thugs and some persons in police uniform; the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA), and a host of other police officers led by SP Chidiebere Ijiomah and DCP Olasoji Akinbayo of the Enugu State Police Command."

They therefore restated that their request that the Inspector General of Police be directed to ensure the prosecution of all the concluded investigated cases against the land grabbers, for instance, the cases handled by the Directorate of Force Intelligence (DFI), and that of Zone 13, Police Zonal Command, Dunukofia, Anambra State being the fallouts of the countless number of desperate acts of oppression and intimidation of members of our community by the land grabbers and their hirelings."

They also reiterated their position that "the case before the Department of Force Intelligence was facing "Suppression of Investigation and Prosecution," added with "Incessant Disregard to the Lawful Directives of the Inspector - General of Police, Usurpation of the Powers of the Inspector - General of Police, Aiding of Criminal Activities of Land Grabbers, Malicious Prosecution/Persecution and the Continuous Intimidation of the People of Amechi Uwani and Obeagu Communities by the Special Tactical Squad (STS) of the Federal Investigation Bureau Department (FIB)”, which was initially written by Chijioke, Obinna and Associates, Legal Practitioners, dated 22nd January, 2021."

According to them, "this case was investigated by Inspector Raynold Ernasom of the DFI, and has since been concluded and the Investigation Report has, to the best of our knowledge been written. We do not know why this case has not been charged to court till date." The same, they said were in the following cases: "(a) the case titled Harassment, Intimidation, Unlawful Invasion, Unlawful Arrest, Maltreatment and the use of D9 section of The State Criminal Investigation Department of Enugu State Command for selfish purposes.......” written by Kennedy and Partners, LL.P, dated 19th August, 2022; (b) the case titled “A Report Against the Gruesome Murder of Inspector Celestine Oriodovwe by a Suspected Terror Group: A Request for Special Investigation of Same”, written by Chijioke, Obinna and Associates, Legal Practitioners, dated 24th October, 2022; and (c) the case titled: “Report of Multiple Assassinations and Senseless Killings in Obeagu Awkunanaw Community: An SOS Appeal". Written by A.J.Ebubechukwu and Partners, dated 22nd December, 2022."

They said that all the above cases were investigated by Inspector Aregbelo Oriyomi of Zone 13 Police Headquarters, Ukpo-Dunukofia, Anambra State.

They said further  "we wish to reiterate our concern about the unchecked impunity and biased policing by SP Chidiebere Ijiomah and DCP Olusoji Akinbayo of the Enugu State Police Command, who have corruptly been assisting the land grabbers in harassing and forcefully taking over our land despite the subsistence of the court order nay the pending suits."

According to them, "in the case of SP Chidiebere Ijiomah, he threw caution to the wind and went ahead to acquire or perhaps accept to be gifted with a portion of this land in dispute by the land grabbers where he erected an edifice and currently resides" (they attached the picture of the said house).

It is against that background that they held that "it cannot be gainsaid that being an interested party or rather, having made himself an interested party, he, Ijioma, is now obsessed and have had his sense of duty and impartiality beclouded by his selfish interest, he cannot and has never been fair to us in carrying out his duty for the aforesaid reason. He acts according to the instruction and dictates of the landgrabbers, and has vowed to incarcerate all of us just to please his paymasters."

They Communities insist that "he cannot be a judge in his own case, he should be made to recuse himself from all the cases emanating, pertaining to, or arising from this land, in the interest of justice and fairness."

The Kindred Families now pray the House of Representatives to intervene and never to relent in helping them as they had nowhere else to go, other than pray that their cries would be heard.

They prayed, "even though money may not be adequate to compensate us as a people for the trauma and dehumanization we have suffered so far, but we must plead with you to consider it imperative to order that adequate monetary compensation be paid to all our members, particularly Ozor Onukwube Ogbodo and Okwudili Aga, who were victims of malicious prosecution orchestrated by SP Chidiebere Ijiomah and DCP Olusoji Akinbayo, who, without reasonable grounds, did corruptly, unjustifiably and in abuse of their offices hounded them into prison on trumped up charges."

To buttress their points, they attached the CTC of the ruling of C.O Ejeagbasi Esq, Chief Mag GD I, of the Magistrate’s Court, Enugu in re-charge number MES/81c/2023, COP VS Onukwube Ogbodo & anor), in spite of which the said SP Chidiebere still perjured by stating on oath that the said case was still pending in court."

The leaders stated their ultimate prayers as the appeal "to graciously grant our requests which will give us a new lease of life, against the torment and all other numerous atrocities against our people." averring though that they were "aware that HOR Committee Rules may not permit you to look into cases said to be in court, but it is for you to leverage on your oversight function to protect us from the oppressive conducts of the ECTDA, some of whose officials are working in cahoots and for the interest of Private Estates International West Africa (PEIWA), and also protect us against the within named police officers whose highhandedness are geared towards feathering their nests, or protecting their selfish interests as beneficiaries of the free merchandising of our ancestral land. By so doing, persons found culpable for criminal violations should be charged accordingly for them to have their day in court, and for justice to be deservedly done to our community as a respite for all we have passed through over the years in the hands of the land grabbers and their cohorts, whether acting in their private or official capacities."

Raising further their voice of anguish anguish the said SP Chidiebere Ijiomah, they stated, "as a police officer he got himself smeared or deeply enmeshed in this matter given the manner he corruptly accepted to erect his palatial house in a disputed land, and as a result, made himself an oppressive instrument against our community while purporting to exercise statutory powers of the police." 

They further urged the HOR  to cause SP Ijiomah to appear before the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC), "to give account of how he was able to build such a house the value of which we think his total salary since his appointment as a police cannot justify."

They hoped that the said officer "could be proceeded against by HOR Committee for Perjury, having lied on oath that the case against our representatives was still pending whereas the matter had been struck out on November 11th, 2023.