‘You are godsent,’ Agwuzani family, Onitsha hails Soludo for ending 15-year oppression by land grabbers over ancestral land

Members of the Agwuzani family during the visit

Kenechukwu Ofomah
Awka
Members of the Agwuzani family of Umuaroli village, Onitsha in Onitsha North Local Government Area of Anambra State on Tuesday, trooped in their numbers joyously, into their ancestral land known as the Ogwugwu Agbu land, after over 15 years of being denied access by land grabbers.
The family members during the visit to the land, chanted solidarity songs in appreciation of Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, for intervening in the matter and rescuing them from the hands of their oppressors.
The jubilant family members were accompanied to the land by security operatives from the state government, due to fear of attack by the land grabbers and some security personnel allegedly on their payroll, who had prevented the family from entering the land.
Addressing newsmen during the visit to the land, the Diokpa/head of the Agwuzani family, Comrade Sunday Ogoazi, disclosed that the ancestral land measures over 1,000 hectares, from which they gave the government two-thirds of it and they were compensated.

Comrade Sunday Ogoazi

According to him, it was the portion that they were compensated for, which land grabbers had encroached on, resulting in litigation.
“When we proceeded to court, the court directed that no one should enter the land until judgement is given.
“Last year, the court eventually gave its judgement, but when we come here, they will use security to chase us away, threatening to kill us.
“Now, after the judgement, we wrote the governor with the entire judgement details from the courts, to come and assist us to access our land.
“The governor, in his magnanimity, answered us and intervened and gave us respite over those who oppress us.

“That is why we are here to appreciate the governor for rescuing us from the hands of the land grabbers, who have been threatening and oppressing us.
“It was so unfortunate that the security men here have been working with the land grabbers, providing them security and preventing us, the original owners of the land from going to our ancestral land. They mounted signposts and were selling our land as estate. How can someone from Ebonyi or Imo state, all of a sudden, have lands in Anambra to sell as estate?
“That’s why we are here to show our appreciation to the governor. It was his timely intervention that salvaged our situation,” the elated Diokpa noted.
Also speaking, the treasurer of the family, Elder Azubuike Ejiamike revealed how before the coming of the Europeans, their forefathers were farmers and farmed on the ancestral lands.
He, however, noted that when they saw the benefits of Western education, they embraced it and gave the land to one Awasi Ejikeme from Nkpor, to be farmed, after whose death, the children continued farming on the land.
“Now, about 15 years ago, when we wanted to enter the land about 15 years ago, there was a misunderstanding between the family members, and we went to court.
“Now, after the disagreement was resolved about a year ago, we realised that security men had encroached on the land and were selling our lands.
“That was when we reached out to the governor, and he showed that he is a god-loving man. This intervention of his will remain indelible in our lives,” he posited.
On his part, another member of the family, and Head, Medical Records Department at the Guiness Eye Centre, Onitsha, Comrade Peter Ogoazi Olisa regretted that the land had for long proved inaccessible to them, as administrations come and go with utopian promises.
He expressed delight that today, the Soludo administration has salvaged them from these land grabbers, operating in connivance with vigilante operators, who are masquerading as security people, while running an estate business.
“Imagine where a vigilante operative is having an estate in someone’s ancestral land!” he quipped.
“This land, the agreement was reached in 1910, with the colonial masters and the land was gazetted. The evidence is still in the archive and we brought it.
“When we wrote an SOS message to Governor Soludo, he asked to be allowed to make enquiries, and after the enquiries, he concluded that the land belongs to the Agwuzani family.
“He even told the land grabbers to come forward with any evidence, but none of them could prove anything beyond a reasonable doubt.
“So, the governor concluded that the land belongs to us and he fostered our smooth takeover of our land by providing us security to enable us to access our land, due to the several threats these land grabbers have made to us.
“We are very happy today and we thank the governor for this gesture.
“This is evidence of good governance and transparency, which will foster development and public trust in government.
“Today, the governor has also provided us pipe-borne water and we see his emergence as governor as a positive development that has impacted Anambra State meaningfully.
“We pray that he will continue to provide this kind of leadership to all Anambra people so that the common man can have a say in the society.”