By CHUKS EKE
No fewer than 16 families in Obosi community, Idemili North Local Government Area of Anambra state, under the aegis of Obosi family land owners have warned those they identified as unknown land grabbers or land speculators to steer clear of their family lands or be prepared to face legal actions and other consequences arising from their encroachments into Obosi family lands without their consent.
The family land owners who staged a peaceful demonstration within the large expance of lands belonging to various families in Obosi and located at Okpoko, Mkpikpa, Ugbongene layouts of Obosi, close to a portion of the on-going Second Niger Bridge project, chanted some solidarity songs, holding placards in their hands with various inscriptions.
The demonstrators who were representatives of various families who own lands in the area they named Okpoko, Mkpikpa, Ugbongene layouts of Obosi, among others, took off from the Palace of the traditional ruler of Obosi Ancient Kingdom, Igwe Chidubem Iweka III and headed to the area, after they were cautioned by the Palace Secretary to the Obosi monarch, Ugonabo Shedrack Okenwa, against violence or any other conduct likely to cause a breach of peace on the process of their peaceful demonstration.
Some of the inscriptions in their placards read in part: “Land grabbers stay away from our land. These lands belong to different families in Obosi,including we Umuocholikwom family. Umuorakposim family asks land grabbers to stay away! Umuopi, Ekwulugo family asks you land grabbers to stay away from Obosi land! Ikeabunife family states: We will not allow any person or group to encroach into our land”,among others.
Speaking to newsmen in a portion of the land, Chairman of Obosi Land Committee, Chairman of Obosi families land owners, Nze Chinedu Okafor; Tochukwu Amobi from Umuocholikwom family and Secretary of all Obosifamily land owners and Nelson Tochukwu Obienu, Chairman of Ime Obosi youths, recalled that they were flabbergasted when they caught the land grabbers clearing the lands with swamp buggy excavators because they did not expect such.
Okafor, Amobi and Obienu disclosed that on interrogation, the unidentified land grabbers claimed that the lands were allocated to them by the immediate past Governor Willie Obiano administration, adding that it was at this stage that they unleashed Obosi youths on them and they fled.
They restated their earlier warning not to see the grabbers around that vicinity any longer to avoid avoid unpleasant consequences, adding that even the 1978 land Use Act does not permit the government to acquire lands and allocate same to unknown persons without the consent of the original land owners.
