Scores of people from Ngwuagu Odunejeogu, Abor Community in Udi local government area of Enugu State have staged a peaceful protest at the premises of the Enugu State Housing Corporation (ESHC) over the alleged plans to trespass their ancestral land.
The protesters, including elderly women, marched from Kingsway Road, Enugu with the intention to enter the office of the general manager of the Housing Corporation before they were intercepted at the gate by security operatives.
The angry protesters were later received by the general manager, Gerald Asogwa who assured them that there was no intention by the corporation to acquire their land forcefully.
He reminded them that the said land is still under litigation and assured them that the corporation was not working on their land.
Spokesman of the protesters, Barrister Okolo Okolonkwo told reporters that the people of the community had on January 29, this year, petitioned the managing director of the Housing Corporation over the alleged move to trespass their land.
The petition read in part:
“First, they brought some unknown people who placed a sign post naming the land ‘Peace Gardens Estate.’ Our people chased them away, because the land has already been allocated to citizens to build their homesteads (Ani-obu). On two other occasions, the same thing happened. The last straw was the very unknown persons through whom they attempted to fence the land during the last Easter vacation.
They were equally repelled. During the last August vacation, they started to front you and ESHDC to help them achieve their nefarious goal.
“Take notice also that this Iyi-Ifwe-Okpa land has been a subject of litigation in E/589/2006 and still not yet decided. Again, we are in court with the said Easter Vacation (2024) trespassers in Suits No. AWH/34/2024 and AWH/05/2025 over trespass to the same Land which is an exclusive property of Ngwuagu Odunejeogu people of Abor.
“We demand that you and your corporation refrain from being led down this precipice. We had attended two meetings in your office where we all agreed that ESHDC should refrain from dragging your organisation to disrepute through land grabbers. We will be willing to partner with the government for housing and other developments.”
