By PAMELA EBOH, Awka

No fewer than twelve persons have been injured with two women raped in Enugwu-Agidi, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, following allegations of attacks by suspected land grabbers.

The women were said to have been raped by thugs belonging to the suspected land grabbers.

According to the President General of the community Mr Victor Okeke Mgbajiaka, who spoke to journalists on Wednesday, the land grabbers have been attacking members of the community.

He said: “We are calling on Gov Charles Soludo to save us from the activities of these land grabbers who have taken over about 1,000 plots of the community land by force and destroying farm land and crops of our people.

“They are parading thugs who have been attacking our people and as at now about twelve persons have been injured and we learnt that two women were raped by those thugs.”

On her part, 65-year-old Madam Evelyn Okeke Nta, said: “I went to my farm and discovered that all my crops have been destroyed and when I confronted them they attacked me and warned me that if I disturb their clearing of the land, the bulldozer would run me down.”

They further accused Igwe Izuchukwu Okeke Onyeocha of masterminding the activities of the land grabbers adding that he has been using his thugs to molest and intimidate innocent villagers.

In his reaction, Igwe Izuchukwu Okeke Onyeocha told journalists that he has no hand in the activities of the thugs saying that all the land he has were officially bought by him with relevant documents.

He added: “This is share envy by those people and because I refuse to give them money they turned round to accuse me of land grabbing when they know that there is nothing like community land.

“One of them Obinna Okoye Ocha came to me after I had bought the land and asked me of money for me to gain access to my land and I promised to give him money but when the money wasn’t forth coming he went about accusing me of land grabbing.

“The man that claimed to be the President General of the town is only impersonating because his three months tenure has passed and he is still parading himself as the PG.”

He added that he also bought land from the family of the President General and that he took part in the sharing of the money from the land.

The younger brother to the President General, Mr Ugochukwu Okoye Ocha, described what his brother said as false, saying: “He paid for the land and we signed the land agreement which my brother the PG is privy to, so he is making a false claim.”

Though the Anambra state police command is yet to issue any statement on the issue, the community leaders who spoke to reporters alleged that several petitions to the police yielded no result.