Land tussle : aggrieved Onitsha indigenes sack protesters at Onitsha Sports club, tear placards

By Cyprian Ebele, Onitsha

It was a melodrama at Onitsha Sports club, Anambra State, Sunday, as the land tussle between the members of the Sports club and original land owners (Ekwerekwu family of Okposieke Ogborieke village), Onitsha, deepens following expiration of the 99 years lease allegedly granted to members of the club.

On Sunday another set of Onitsha indigenes from Umudei village and led by their chairman, Emeka Iwuanya, stormed Sports club with over 40 protesters, with placards, claiming ownership of the disputed Onitsha Sports club premises.

Some of the placards had inscriptions as, “Sports club GRA belongs to Umudei village, we don’t support violence, Okposieke land does not include sports club, among others.

Briefing newsmen, the chairman of the protesters said, “I am Emeka Iwuanya, chairman, Umudei Development Committee, this Sports club and others were forest reserves which our forefathers leased to the colonial Government in 1910 for 99 years and the lease has expired.

“The Ekwerekwu family of Okposieke and Umudei village own the land known as forest reserve. In 1945, the Ekwerekwu family demanded that her own portion of the land be allocated to her and it was granted that the family owns the left wing of Enugu road and Umudei village owns the right wing which includes the controversial Onitsha Sports club.

“So the Ekwerekwu family should not lay hands on the Sports club premises as it doesn’t belong to them but to us. We got information that the Ekwerekwu family is ejecting the club members and demolishing the structures therein and that is why we are here to protest against that,” he stated.

“It was while we were protesting that Harold Ekwerekwu led some thugs into the sports club, assaulted some of us and tore our placards. So we have to brief our elders and people who sent us to know the next line of action,” he further explained.

In a swift reaction when contacted, Harold Ekwerekwu described the protesters as hungry people and advised them to come to him for money rather than being biased in the land issue.

His words, “We are not in contention with anybody over the land. No injunction was served to us by members of the club or anybody. The members of the sports club are squatters. They are not supposed to be here and if they want to remain they should come to us for negotiation”, he explained.

On alleged threat by the family to the members of the club as their properties are being damaged, he reiterated that there will be no such thing but rather the family is only reclaiming her landed property after expiration of the lease granted to them by their forefathers.

He assured that, “There can’t be bloodshed as speculated in some quarters, we are good people. We still do not touch their recreational facilities and we never touched any of the club members.

“The protesters led by Emeka Iwuanya are hungry people and they should come to us for money instead of being bias.However, they have apologized to us, they are our brothers and we have forgiven them” he further disclosed.

Recall that earlier, precisely last Wednesday, the club members led by their President, Chief Daniel Okafor, stormed Government House, Awka, where they complained to Governor Chukwuma Soludo on the ejection and damage to properties.

Governor Soludo who was ably represented by the Chief of Staff, Chief Ernest Ezeajughi, pledged to look into the matter even as the members also complained to the state Commissioner of Police, CP, Nnaghe Obono Itam and the state Assembly Speaker, Hon. Somtochukwu Udeze .

During the exercise, the protesters carried placards with some inscriptions such as “Harold Ekwerekwu, face the lawsuit you filed at Onitsha High court and stop self-help. Anambra Police Commissioner, enforce High court order against trespassers. Onitsha Sports Club is not for sale. We suspect that Anambra Police Çommand has been compromised”, among others.

A member of the Board of Trustees, BoT of the club, Chief Pius Nweze, flanked by the club President, Chief Okafor, Secretary of BoT, Barr. Emeka Anyaneto, who was a one-time Speaker of Anambra State House of Assembly and Barrr. Chris Ajugwe, a prominent legal team of the club, lamented that as they were protesting, the demolition of club premises was still ongoing, in deviance to the subsisting interim injunction recently granted by Justice Jude Obiorah, a vacation judge sitting at Awka high court.

Chief Nweke who is the Chairman/CEO of Best Aluminium Manufacturing Company Limited and others that include, Chief Emeka Obieli, further lamented that they were seriously suspecting that the Police May Have been compromised to the extent that they drove away the vigilante operatives the club members invited to stop the demolition.

They further alleged that while the demolition exercise was still ongoing, the invaders were busy plotting the demolished spaces for sale to prospective buyers, claiming that the entire club premises is owned by the Ekwerekwu family.

They therefore warned that in as much as they want to respect government in power, follow due process, maintain law and order, peace and tranquility, explore legal options to the matter, their silence should not be misconstrued as an act of weakness or cowardice particularly in the face of current security challenges in the country.

The Speaker of Anambra House of Assembly, Hon. Udeze, who also listened to them with rapt attention, said he would assign the House.