The community of Obollo in Udenu Local Government Area, Enugu State, is embroiled in a heated land dispute, with residents alleging that a former governor is attempting to seize control of a vast expanse of land exceeding 70 hectares.
According to reports, concerns have risen that the situation could escalate into a potential bloodbath if immediate actions are not taken to address the growing crisis.
During a press briefing in Enugu, representatives of the Obollo community revealed that they had notified the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, about the former governor’s alleged role in instigating the conflict, utilizing his allies to stir unrest and claim communal land.
The petition, dated December 21, 2023, and provided to Naija News, was signed by Matthew Agu, representing the Donee, Power of Attorney, and Oha Obollo in Council. Agu traced the origins of the conflict back to the former governor’s request for a significant portion of land to establish a dry seaport in Obollo-Afor. Initially granted on August 9, 2015, under the premise of public benefit, the community now claims that the ex-governor had deceived them into donating the land for personal use.
Agu stated, “Seeing that he could not achieve his plan of taking the land for himself through the dry seaport story, he resorted to engineering one of the clans in the community to claim ownership of the property, against an existing court order indicating that the land belongs to the entire Oha Obollo and not one particular clan.”
The former governor is further accused of attempting to manipulate the legal resolution process, including alleged interference through a serving police chief from the same local government area. Concerns have been raised about compromised law enforcement in the state in connection with this land dispute.
