The people of Umuanekeode village of Ibagwa Nike community in Enugu East local government area of Enugu have cautioned members of the public against the activities of some persons allegedly using the name of the village to engage in questionable land transactions.
The people in question, according to the leaders of the village, were acting in total violation of various court ruling/orders.
In a strong worded public notice copied to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the State Commissioner of Police, and signed by heads of the various families in the village, including Chief Anike Edwin Okonkwo, Chief Calistus Okolo, Elder Eze Mbaeke, Agbo Moses, High Chief Joseph Mbannanchi and High Chief Charles Ede, the villagers condemned the activities of one Ikechukwu Ngwu, maintaining that Ibagwa Nike Community under the leadership of HRM (Dr) Emmanuel Ugwu remains one and indivisible.
The statement reads, “We use this medium to notify the general public not to deal with anyone claiming to represent Umuanekeode Village with any purported Power of Attorney.
“We state categorically that Anekeode is one of the five villages in Ibagwa Nike and the only document governing land ownership in Ibagwa Nike community is the 1963 declaration, made by our ancestors.
“We further call on anyone whether individual or group that purchased land in Ibagwa Nike Community in particular, Freedom City Layout, Ibagwa Nike to start development with immediate effect as all land disputes have been settled in Suit No E/205/2011 dated 15th day of February, 2012 and Suit No E/136/2012 dated 17th day of July, 2017”.
The villagers said that the activities of the deviants had been banned by order of perpetual injunction delivered in another Suit No E/337/2016 dated 19th day of July, 2017.
The elders and leaders of Umuanekeode went ahead to appoint a 12-man representative of Umuanekeode Village to act and take decisions for the overall interest of the village, including Hon. Ben Obinna Mbaeke and Mr. Robert Ngwu, the junior brother to Ikechukwu Ngwu, as co-coordinators as well as Mr. Donatus Okolo as PRO.
But in a quick reaction, Mr. Ngwu denied the allegations against him, especially of causing disharmony in the village and engaging in fraudulent land transactions.
He said, “we sued them to court challenging the 1963 declaration and the judge said that the matter is in another court; our lawyer told him that the matter is not in another court but they dismissed the suit. We went on appeal challenging the ruling. We filed an appeal immediately.”
