Obi of Anwai/Umuagwu, near Asaba, Delta State capital, Mohammed Nduka Elunor, and hundreds of his subjects, yesterday, barricaded the entrance to Government House, protesting against killing of citizens, including security personnel, by suspected IPOB members and other criminal elements.

The protest, which lasted about an hour, caused heavy gridlock as vehicles plying the road and other road users were denied access into and out of government house.

The protesters were led by a woman with a smoking pot of fire balanced on her head. They danced and displayed placards with inscriptions, such as: “Stop the killing of Anwai, Asaba”, “Rid Anwai Asaba of hoodlums and bandits” and “Government acquired land in Anwai, Asaba is now safe heaven for hoodlums”, among others.

The monarch, while addressing the Chief of Staff, Ovie Agas, who represented the government, complained that the hoodlums were killing his people and destroying their property unchallenged, following government’s refusal to develop the 100 hectares of land acquired for the construction of 700 units of low-cost Housing estate since 2012, which they now used as hideout.

He urged the state government to de-acquire the unused part of the 100 hectares of community land.

“We are deeply troubled and saddened that up till now the state government has not responded to our plea to de-acquire the unused vast portion of the 100 hectares of our community land, which purpose has failed irretrievably,” he said.

While expressing displeasure over the development, he called on stakeholders to intervene by ensuring the land is returned to the original owners, even as he expressed “dismayed that developers had started selling the land at N3.5m per plot to people from across the Niger and environs, contrary to the purpose of the acquisition by Delta State.”

The land, he told the state government, had remained underdeveloped and overgrown with weeds and trees, making IPOB fighters and other criminal elements to find it a safe heaven.

Responding, Agas assured the protesters that government would speedily look into the matter with a view to finding lasting solutions to it. He commended the protesters for the peaceful protest. (The Guardian)

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