Community petitions govt over land grabbers, backs criminal proceedings

The residents of Umuenu Quarters in Umuawulu Community, in the Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have petitioned the Anambra State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, over the activities of alleged land grabbers threatening to dispossess them of their ancestral land, homes and farms.

In the petition addressed to Nweke, members of the community pleaded for urgent government’s intervention to forestall reactions to the “persistent harassment” over the ancestral land by land grabbers suspected to be from the neighbouring village, Enugwu Quarters in the same community.

The Umuenu people and the families of those who allegedly died as a result of the injuries they sustained during the attacks by the land grabbers, pleaded with the Attorney-General to release the case file against the alleged invaders so that the court case on the matter would continue.

The petition was signed on their behalf by the community’s counsel and a member of the Nigerian Bar Association, Anambra State branch, Hyacinth Moghalu.

A copy of the petition was made available to our correspondent on September 11, 2026.

In the petition, the Umuenu people appealed to the State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to allow the matter already in court to proceed to a logical conclusion, agitating that the case with No: A/81C/2024: The State vs Ifeanyichukwu Nwogbo & 7 Others is still pending at the High Court No, 1in Awka.

The petition read in part, “Re: Recall of the casefile by the office of honourable attorney general upon the complaints of the defendants for review of the case file and need for the complainants to state true facts about the case to enable the AG to come to proper appreciation or form proper legal opinion in the review of the case file.

“We have been consulted and our services retained by the members of Umuenu community of Umuawulu town, namely, Mr Daniel Ezeh, Mr Ebenezer Eze and Mr Peter Adibe, all named as complainants in charge No: A/81C/2024: The State Vs Mr Ifeanyichukwu Nwogbo & seven Ors which is currently pending in High court No. 1, High Court of Anambra State, Awka Judicial Division, Holden at Awka, to write to you this letter. They shall hereinafter be referred to as our clients. We write on their instructions, authority and consent.

“Our clients’ complaints are as follows: That the named complainants in charge No: A/81C/2024, who include the following, namely, Mr Daniel Ezeh, Mr Ebenezer Eze, Mr Peter Adibe and now late Mr Humphrey Obi, are all indigenes of Umuenu community in Umuawulu town in Awka South LGA of Anambra State.

“That our clients, Umuenu community, is the owner in possession of the large area of land situated in Umuenu, Umuawulu town in Awka South LGA of Anambra State known as ‘Agu Udo’ land of Umuenu, Umuawulu.

“That in the year 1928, the members of Abo Ani community of Awgbu town in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State, trespassed into our clients’ ‘Agu Ofu’ land and started to claim same as belonging to them.

“That our clients, the members of Umuenu community, sued the said members of Abo Ani community village, Awgbu town at Mbalinofu Native Court sitting at Awka in suit No: 65/28. Judgment was delivered in favour of our clients, the members of Umuenu community and cost of £2.10 (Two Pounce, Ten Shelling) was awarded in their favour.

“That when judgment was given in favour of our clients’ Umuenu community, the people of Abo Ani community Awgbu who lost, appealed to the District Officer who dismissed the appeal and upheld and/or affirmed the judgment of the Mbalinofu native court, Awka. A copy of the Judgment is hereby attached.

“That sometime in the year, 2020, the members of Enugwu village, Umuawulu from which village all the defendants in charge No: A/81C/2024, come from, invaded our clients’ Agu Ofu land, which our clients defended successfully against the people of Abo Ani community, Awgbu and failed, and committed various acts of trespass which included forcible seizure of farming implements of our clients’ Umuenu people and that of their hired labourers.

“They uprooted the yam seedlings of some of the members of our clients’ Umuenu people.

“That the above lawlessness of the members of Enugwu village, Umuawulu, was reported to the traditional ruler of Umuawulu who set up a five-man special committee to resolve of ownership of the Agu Ofu land.”

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According to the counsel, the five-man special committee met, heard evidence from both disputants and at the end, they declared the land to belong to Umuenu community.

The lawyer, who attached a copy of their verdict to the petition, added, “That it is this land which has been variously declared as belonging to our clients’ Umuenu community as evidenced in the judgments and verdicts attached, that the same members of Enugwu village, Umuawulu, being led by the 1st to 8th defendants named in the charge No: A/81c/2024 and others at large, on the 19th day of June, 2024, invaded and attacked our clients who had gone to their said land to farm, with weapons with the aim of either killing our clients they met working on the land and/or seriously inflicting on them, serious bodily injuries.

“That they succeeded in inflicting various degrees of injuries on our clients.

“That when due to the report by our clients against the people of Enugwu village, Umuawulu and the 1st to 8th defendants were arrested, they tried everything possible, to frustrate the police charging them to court but to no avail. They were eventually charged to court.

“That one of the complainants, Mr Humphrey Obi who the defendants attempted to kill by inflicting grievous and serious bodily injuries on him through the machetes cuts they gave him and which injuries, form the basis of count six, is now dead.”

The community representative said Obi died as a result of the complications arising from the injuries.

“Attached is a photograph of now late Mr Humphrey Obi showing the deep cut they gave him and being treated in a hospital,” he added.

The lawyer claimed that the people of Enugwu village, Umuawulu, having boasted and failed to stop the police from charging the 1st to 8th defendants to court, also boasted that they would use their connection with the Anambra State Government, to stop the prosecution of the 1st to 8th defendants.

He added, “What followed next was that the former Attorney General, your predecessor in office, called for a recall of the case file and directed that it be forwarded to her office for review. The case file was accordingly forwarded to her office by the then police prosecutor.

“That while the former Attorney General was reviewing the case file, she was notified that the Umuawulu Progress Union had set up a mediation panel to look into the land dispute between the complainants’ Umuenu village and the 1st to 8th defendants’ Enugwu village, Umuawulu; that she should graciously allow the community to look into the dispute with a view of settling same.

“That pursuant to the above, the former Attorney General decided to wait for the outcome of the mediation panel before she could know the next step to take.

“That the said mediation panel headed by a well-respected legal practitioner, Chief Azubuike Anazor, looked into the dispute, heard the parties and came up with the finding that the land belonged to the complainants’ Umuenu village and the 1st to 8th defendants’ Enugwu people should desist from further trespassing on the land.

“A copy of their mediation panel report, is hereby attached. That with the above report and the refusal of the 1st to 8th defendant’s Enugwu village, to accept the report, the former Attorney General then approved the prosecution of the 1st to 8th defendants to continue and then issued her fiat to HNC Ogbalu Esq to prosecute on behalf of the state, charge No: 81CS/2024.

“That your present recall of the case file for review, is the second recall of the said file for review.

“It is in respect of all the above, that our clients have consulted our services retained to bring the above true situation of facts to knowledge, so that you will have the benefit of the full facts to enable you to arrive at proper conclusion in the legal review now undertaken by your office. Your consideration will be highly appreciated.”

The Umuenu people and Obi’s widow, Esther Obi, what would heal wounds was for the Attorney-General to release the case file so that justice would run its course.