Palace Denies Sale of Communal Land To Foreigners Amid Reform Row

The Palace of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku has denied allegations that communal land was sold to foreign nationals, saying the claims are fabricated and form part of a wider campaign to undermine its land recovery and reform initiatives.

The Palace defended ongoing land recovery and reform efforts in the kingdom, saying recent accusations against the monarch form part of a coordinated campaign by parties it says were impacted by the reclamation of communal assets.

In a statement issued by the Palace Communications Directorate on behalf of Obi (Dr.) Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo II, the palace, described the controversy over land administration as driven by “vested interests” seeking to frustrate reforms aimed at increasing transparency and protecting ancestral holdings.

The Palace allegations — which it listed as unlawful land sales, intimidation and criminal conduct — are false and intended to discredit the monarch’s interventions in what it called years of irregular transactions involving communal property. It accused those behind the claims of benefiting from “the unlawful appropriation and commercialisation of communal lands belonging to the Ogwashi-Uku people.”

“These attacks are therefore a desperate attempt to obstruct the Palace’s ongoing efforts to sanitise land allocation, recover ancestral lands wrongfully alienated, and preserve communal assets for public development and the benefit of present and future generations,” the statement said.

Asserting the legality of its actions, the Palace, it said, has consistently upheld Obi’s authority in communal land disputes. It cited the recovery of about 1,349 hectares through a judgment in Suit No. 0/5/2006 and the execution of a Warrant of Possession in September 2025; the land is said to have been previously reserved by the late Obi, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo, for the proposed Anioma University of Science and Technology.

The statement also referenced Suit No. 0/50/2021, which the Palace reaffirmed Obi’s authority over roughly 900 hectares behind the Delta State Polytechnic. According to the Palace, the court dismissed the developers and speculators who sought to encroach on that land, and peaceful possession was restored in August 2025.

The Palace specifically claims that communal lands had been sold to foreign nationals, including Chinese citizens, calling those allegations fabricated and naming one accuser as a “disreputable character” identified by the Palace as Comrade Victor Ojei.

It also denied reports of forced evictions, saying Obi has initiated legal action against an accuser for alleged cyberstalking and character assassination.

Responding to accusations that the monarch ceded community land to a senior Delta State government official, the Palace of the Obi is the claimant in Suit No. 0/163/2025, seeking declarations to nullify what it describes as an unauthorised transfer of communal land to entities connected to the official.

The statement framed the Palace’s very efforts as intended to preserve land for public development projects — hospitals, schools, agriculture and industry — and said nearly 2,000 indigenes have received free land allocations under the current administration, with further allocations planned.

The Palace confirmed its commitment to the rule of law. It said it would not be deterred by what it described as misinformation and “sponsored attacks,” adding that it will continue efforts to safeguard communal inheritance for present and future generations.