UMUAHIA – The people of Umunenweze in Okaiuga Nkwoegwu, Umuahia North LGA of Abia State, have called on Governor Alex Otti to intervene and protect them from alleged land grabbers said to be targeting Okpuijikara land.
Addressing journalists on Wednesday in large numbers, the community accused Paul Onuigbo Uzuegbu, Ejikeme Emereuwa, and Obidike Nwokorie of spearheading the illegal sale and lease of communal land.
Speaking through their spokesperson, Onyekachi Igbojionu, they warned prospective buyers and sub-leaseholders that Okpuijikara was sold illegally while the matter is still in court.
The community said since 2017, they have been resisting the unauthorised sale, lease and donation of their lands. They stated that the three individuals have “no customary mandate, administrative office, or legal authority” under the village constitution to represent Umunenweze or alienate its land, adding that such power resides strictly with the Executive body of the village.
They recalled that in March 2018, following a resolution at their annual conference, the community published a Caveat Emptor notice in the media defining the boundaries of their land and declaring that no individual, Eze, President-General or group had the mandate to sell, lease, or pledge any part of it.
The notice according to them, traced the land from Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Secondary School through Nnewo and Okpuijikara to their boundary with Umu-Ohuru, down to the Obohu River, and across the Port Harcourt–Enugu Expressway.
The community also disclosed that the Abia State High Court had granted a subsisting injunction restraining Onuigbo, Emereuwa, Nwokorie and their agents from selling, leasing or carrying out any civil development on Okpuijikara land, with only seasonal farming permitted.
However, they alleged that in defiance of the court order, Onuigbo and others sold Okpuijikara land last year to Onduk Real Estate Builders and Construction Ltd, owned by Okechukwu Ndukwe.
They further alleged that in May 2025, Ndukwe and the company invaded the land with armed police and army personnel to intimidate villagers and commence construction. The community described the ongoing erection of structures and re-sale of the land as “a continuous crime against the Judiciary” and “open contempt of court.”
The community also raised alarm that after Okpuijikara, the same group is now targeting the adjacent defunct Secondary School/College land for what they called fake donations and illegal sales, insisting that no one has the authority to cede or sell the College land and vowed to resist any attempt lawfully.
In their demands, the people called on Okechukwu Ndukwe and Onduk Real Estate to immediately cease all work, demobilize their equipment and vacate Okpuijikara in strict compliance with the subsisting High Court order. They also warned prospective buyers that any money paid to Ndukwe, Onduk Real Estate, Onuigbo, Emereuwa or Nwokorie “is a complete loss” because they would be buying into a lawsuit.
They further urged security agencies to intervene immediately to enforce the court order and prevent a breakdown of peace, noting that their people are deeply aggrieved by the continuous provocation. The community also appealed to the Abia State Government and Ministry of Lands to disregard letters from any fictitious body, including the “Umunenweze Four Kindred Secretariat” or the “Okaiuga Nkwoegwu Autonomous Community” letter dated 16th February 2026, stressing that neither Okpuijikara nor the College land has been donated for any commercial scheme.
The community said Umunenweze stands united across all four kindreds and will deploy every legal, judicial and peaceful customary measure to enforce the court order and protect their ancestral heritage for generations to come.
Lending their voices, the Chairman of Umunenweze Obinna Okwulehie, Nwabueze Emereuwa, and Mrs Janet Nwagboso decried the activities of the alleged land grabbers, saying they were flouting the subsisting court injunction on the matter.
Some of the placards displayed by the protesters read: “Our Collective Patrimony is not for sale or grabbing,” “The land belongs to the people not to criminals,” “Umunenweze Okupala land is our ancestral heritage not a commercial estate,” and “Buyers beware, stay off our land.”
Efforts to get reactions from the accused persons were not successful as of press time.
