Anambra Community Protests Land Grabbing, Private Security Chief
The people of Mbanano, Enugwu Agidi Community, in Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra have called on the state government to protect them from a group of persons who forcefully takeover their land.
The protesters, numbering over 500 besieged the Police Command Headquarters, Amawbia where they complained about ‘continued intimidation, torture and harassment of the indigenes of the community’
They bore placards with varying inscriptions like “Enough Is Enough”
“We Will Not Watch Yoú Take Over Inheritance”, “Leave Our Land For Us”. Stop “Harassing Our Men And Women”, among others.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Mr Peter Onuekwusi the Chairman Land Committee, Mbanano, Enugwu Agidi Community said the land grab syndicate was led by the owner Blue Shield Securities, a private security company based in Awka.
Onuekwusi said the alleged culprit used personnel of his outfit to unleash mayhem and brigandage on the community and the people.
‘The assault is becoming too unbecoming. It is getting out of hand. They beat up our people at will, rounded up our women and laid them on the bare floor and asked them to remain like that from morning till evening.
“This is condemnable, the man doing this is on his own but he is using Ezinano Awka as a cover because we are in court with the community.
“The operator of Blue Shield Securities who is doing this is acting in contempt of court,” he said
Speaking in the land dispute between Mbanano, Enugwu Agidi Community and Ezinano Community in Awka, Onuekwusi said it dated back to 1936 when the first judgment on it was entered in their favour by the county court.
He said they were surprised in 2005 when Ezinano Awka said they had gone on appeal but in October 2013, the case was decided in their favour after years of litigation.
He said the private security company owner never attended any court proceedings until his recent attempts to forcefully take over this land whose ownership had been decided by the court.
Recall that the owner of Blue Shield Securities had been sponsoring protests including hiring women to go naked in the streets against the Police Command in Anambra.
