By SAMUEL OGIDAN, Abuja

A Save Our Soul (SOS) message has been sent to Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, over plans by some leaders from the community to illegally give out their land to the state government.

A Coalition of Ugwuaji Progressives, in a letter addressed to the Governor by their legal representatives, said a meeting held on Monday 27th July, 2020, at the instance of Ugwuanyi in Government House, Enugu with certain individuals supposedly representing Ugwuaji, didn’t have the backing of the people.

The Coalition pointed out that the leaders may have perfected a sinister move to use the office of the Governor to perpetuate a monumental land fraud.

They said during the meeting with the Governor, the individuals offered Ugwuaji land (Otonozi) to the state government for acquisition, without recourse to the original owners of the disputed land.

The letter reads: “It is therefore pertinent to set the records straight and to present the facts as they were.

“The individuals who embarked on this voyage of mendacity no longer possess the title to the said lands. The Otonozi prime lands have some pre-existing and registered layouts identified as Umunnugwu/Ndiaga Layout (DRG No: E/412 and approved on the 16th Dec, 2014), Valley Layout (DRG No: E/378 LHC/ENPS, approved on the 22nd March, 2013) and Promise land Layout (Planning Scheme Approval Order 2011. Plan No: E/317, approved on 29th August, 2011) amongst other layouts respectively.

“As is the custom of the Ugwuaji people, they parcellated the layouts and divided the plots amongst Ugwuaji indigenes who have since sold off and divested their interests over the said lands to the current land owners, some of who had just begun building structures on the said land and others who had completed their buildings.

“It is our firm instruction that it would amount to using your office as an accessory to this monumental land fraud which will not be in the interest of those who have paid their life’s earnings, scraped through their pensions and life’s savings for ownership of a property in Ugwuaji.

“How can any sane person who has sold his land (some sold and resold their plots to different persons and are running from answering for their fraud), received value for the transaction and transferred title accordingly, now turn around to offer the same land to government for acquisition in exchange for compensation?

“These individuals who are offering the said lands to the government do not possess the locus standi, moral or otherwise, to even initiate any conversation with the government over these lands especially as regards any kind of acquisition.

“It is also our firm instruction that our client, by this letter, and on behalf of the many others, are beckoning on the attention of Security agencies, the National Human Rights Commission as well as the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization Ohaneze Ndi Igbo to kindly wade into this matter as this may be described as the height of wickedness.” (Daily Independent)

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