BY SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
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Scores of people of Ochima in Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu state on Monday staged a peaceful protest against an alleged encroachment on their communal land by the Nigerian Army for shooting expeditions.
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The protest which took off from the community’s borehole at Ochima junction had hundreds of men and women, including the young ones in attendance, with some carrying green leaves, palm leaves as well as placards with inscriptions like ‘’We say No to Nigerian Army taking our land’’, ‘’Nigerian Army should leave Ochima’’, ‘’Bullet from Nigerian Army shooting range are killing our people’’, ‘’Nigeria Government should come for our rescue’’; among others.
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Chanting songs of discontentment over the alleged encroachment, the protesters marched to the palace of the traditional ruler of the community, HRH, Igwe Hyacinth Ugwuogbuke to express their grievances on the development. They condemned the action of the army, describing it as a taboo and strange happening in their community.
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The President General of Ochima General Assembly, Mr. Gerald Okwesili while addressing the protesters at the traditional ruler’s palace said never in the history of Ochima had the people had any pact to either lease or sold their land to the Nigerian Army and wondered why they could rise up suddenly to enter into the community land, survey and demarcate it with beacons without any consultation or agreement with the community.
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He said that the people were thrown into confusion when about 30 soldiers from the 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Enugu, armed to the teeth stormed their community on Saturday July 13 and Sunday 14, 2024 to survey their communal land, adding that most women ran into bushes, hiding to avoid been attacked.
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‘’We decided to organize a peaceful protest because Nigerian Army wants to take our ancestral land by force. On Saturday July 13, 2024, they came with about 30 soldiers from 82 Division Enugu, heavily armed to survey our land without any information to anyone, including our traditional ruler. We were confused and out of the fear of the unknown, our women took refuge in the bushes around. On Sunday, that was July 14, they returned back to continue the boundary demarcation exercise and told us that the land belongs to them and that we are now their tenants. We don’t know what else to do than to embark on this peaceful protest’’, he said.
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He recalled that last year their sources of drinking water were damaged as the eight streams situated in the various areas of the community were polluted during their shooting outings around Amokwu Affa a neighbouring village in Udi local government area, adding that at the same period, one Sochima Ugwu was hit by stray bullet allegedly from the shooting range.
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Okwesili also said that in the wake of the happenings, the community was compelled to write to the chairman of Igbo-Etiti local government area and the Enugu state government in 2023, appealing to them to save their souls from the personnel from the 82 Division, Enugu but nothing much came out of the appeal. This he said was followed with court action as the army continued with their shooting display in the area.
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‘’We are again crying out to governments at all levels to come to the rescue of our community. If quick steps are not taking, Ochima is going to lose its ancestral land and other inheritance like our deities, farm land, churches and schools; and this will cause enormous damage to our community’’, he added.
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The traditional ruler of the community, Igwe Ugwuogbuke while speaking said he was not aware that Nigerian Army was given any portion of the community land or entered into any agreement with them or any person as their privy to take over their land and expressed displeasure on the way and manner they have continued to trespass into their ancestral land.
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‘’Since I was born, I have not heard that Ochima community had any land dispute with anyone, sold any parcel of land to the Nigerian Army or entered into agreement with them. My father never told me such a thing, more so, the late traditional ruler of Ochima autonomous community didn’t tell me about such a thing. Ochima as I know is the oldest community in Nsukka cultural zone and has not had any land case with government or any individual.
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I am not happy over the action of the Nigerian Army in our community. Our people are now living in fear since they came to survey our land and put in beacons. They never informed us, either in writing or orally before encroaching in our land to create boundary’’, he said.
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He however appealed to the protesters to remain calm as efforts would be made to handle the matter to ensure that justice prevails as they are already in court with Nigerian Army over their land. He re-echoed the appeal earlier made by the President General of Ochima General Assembly to the state and federal governments, when he said ‘’whatever affects my subjects affects me, only urgent government intervention will safe our people and Ochima will continue to live in peace’’.
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The eldest man in the community, Elder Madubuatta Nwokwesili said that in over 100 years of his life, the community had never had any land deal with the Nigerian Army, stressing that whoever says that such exists or existed should produce evidence. ‘’They are forcefully taking away our land’’, he said.
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Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Enugu, Jonah Unuakhalu when contacted said he wasn’t aware of what Ochima community was protesting for but noted that they have a military shooting range somewhere in Udi local government area. He promised to make inquiries into the matter.
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