By Okey Maduforo Awka
Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East local government area Hon Ifeanyi Chinweze has described the over twenty five years communal land dispute between Aguleri and Umuleri Communities in Anambra East local government area as a huge scam.
Chinweze further contending that it was stage managed by individual land owners from the two towns who go behind to jointly sell off those lands in dispute and share the proceeds from the land amongst themselves without recourse to the entire Communities that laid down their lives during war.
But for the intervention of the Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East local government area Hon Ifeanyi Chinweze the communal land dispute between Aguleri and Umuleri would have by now degenerated into a blood bath
Trouble started last three weeks when the Mgboko and Adani villages located at the boundary between Umuleri and Aguleri Communities rekindled the old war flame over land dispute.
Youths of the two Communities had already been mobilized for a full scale communal war while women and children are being evacuated to Nteje and Omor Communities in Oyi and Ayamelum local government areas when the Council Chairman Hon Ifeanyi Chinweze in the company of security operatives and officials of the local government area stormed the camps of the waring youths.
After hours of talks with the leadership of the two Communities it was resolved that going to war was not the best option.
It was also agreed that all arms distributed to the youths should be returned to the local community Vigilante Services in the two towns under the supervision of the two President Generals of the towns .
Further in that resolution is that after the local government election, a meeting of the two Communities would be convened which would have in attendance stakeholders of the communities on a war forward to end the matter in perpetuity.
Confirming this development during his campaign rally for the September 28th local government election at Enugu – Out and Mkpu Nando Aguleri Communities in Anambra East local government area the Council Chairman Hon Ifeanyi Chinweze said;
“I am from Umuleri and the incumbent Transition Committee Chairman of Anambra East local government area and when I said that I am on campaign tl Aguleri my people asked if I had enough security operatives around me and I asked , why do I need security to go and see my people? ”
Continuing Chinweze said;
“That was how we were able to avert the communal land dispute that would have led to heavy blood bath in Umuleri and Aguleri Communities ”
“The said land dispute is a ploy by some people from both Communities to deceive the entire people of Umuleri and Aguleri into going to war over private landed property of few individuals ”
“This so called war is a scam because those that had been killed due to the land dispute were not given part of the land in dispute and those that spent their hard earned money to sponsor the war had no share from the proceeds from the sales of those lands”
Chinweze accused the land owners of ripping off the unsuspecting rest of the two Communities of Umuleri and Aguleri stating that;
“The owners of the land when we got there had already sold off the land on the agreement among themselves without involving the entire people of Umuleri and Aguleri and they never presented the proceeds of the sale of those lands to our people to share with them , but if it is time for war they will get others involved and those who end up being killed in the process and the sponsors are not considered while selling those lands” he lamented.
Also speaking the Commissioner for Water and Power Engr Julius Chukwuemaka from Aguleri town urged the citizens of the two Communities to see themselves as brothers and sisters adding that the issue of land dispute should not be an instrument of war or division among themselves.
“Anyone that tells you that Umueri and Aguleri Communities are at war is deceiving you because we are one and those people saying that are those that gain from the war and the despite” he said.
Former member that represented Anambra East and West Federal Constituency Chief Chinedu Obidigwe noted that;
“The most important thing is for us all to continue to see our selves as one so that we can attract government patronage and development into our villages rather than going into a senseless war that will lead us to no where”
Obidigwe expressed the appreciation of the people of the area over the promise by Gov Charles Soludo to complete the construction of the 32 km road project that was left uncomplicated by the immediate past regime of Chief Willie Obiano adding that the two local government areas of Anambra East and West would continue to support his administration.
