Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State has said he intervened in the land dispute between the people of Ndiagu Owo community in Nkanu-East Local Government Area of the state and the traditional ruler of Mbulu Owo, Igwe Okeke Arum, to ensure lasting peace and resolution of the conflict.
Ugwuanyi said this when he met indigenes of Ndiagu Owo community during their protest march to the government house, Enugu.
The governor called for calm and re-emphasised to the angry natives that he had summoned the leaders of the warring communities to his office to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
He, however, warned that no Enugu State indigene should refer to other indigenes of the state as slaves, restating that he would not tolerate discrimination of any sort.
However, the President of Ndiagu Owo community, Michael Mbah, said they were at the government house to express their anger over the treatment of the Mbulu Owo ruler, alleging that he had invaded their ancestral land in order to forcefully annex it.
He said prior to the protest, they had petitioned the state governor on the matter, appealing to him to stop Igwe Arum from taking over their land through force which would lead to violence in the locality.
He said: “The intending forceful annexing of our land is by HRH Igwe Okeke Arum of Mbulu Owo Autonomous Community and his cronies from Ashishi Owo with the intent to cause violence and bloodshed thereby jeopardizing the hard-earned peace we enjoy for over 300 years in Owo town in particular, and Enugu State in general. We wish to state that there is no portion of land of Ndiagu Owo that is for sale”.
South East Trust observed that hundreds of indigenes of Ndiagu Owo including women and children as well as the elderly were at the Lion Building (Government House), Enugu with placards to stage the protest.
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