Fresh tension is mounting in Enugu South Local Government Area as residents of Obeagu Awkunanaw Community have petitioned key authorities, alleging a renewed attempt by the Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority (ECTDA) to forcibly take over their ancestral land.
In multiple petitions addressed to Governor Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the Chairman of ECTDA, the community accused the development authority of reviving a “deliberate” plan to demolish buildings and occupy communal land, an action they likened to the traumatic demolitions of January 2024.
The petitions were signed by Hon. Mike Ogbonna (President General), Reuben N. Okafor (Secretary General) and Chief Christian Egbo (Traditional Prime Minister) of Obeagu Awkunanaw.
In a strongly-worded protest letter dated October 6, 2025, addressed to the ECTDA Chairman, the community expressed dismay at the sudden reappearance of unidentified operatives in their locality who marked several buildings for demolition.
“We were shocked, to say the least, when we observed a handful of persons who, without proper identification but upon our prodding later identified themselves as officials from your office, were sent to mark some of our structures for removal,” the letter read.
The community warned that such actions, if left unchecked, could trigger another round of demolitions like those of early 2024 and accused the agency of acting in bad faith while legal disputes are still pending in court.
“While we hope this is not a prelude to another round of demolition akin to the massive destruction and misery caused us by the very act of last year (2024), we still tenaciously hold the view that you acted deliberately to frustrate and render nugatory the prosecution of our pending suits,” they wrote.
Citing two specific court cases, Suit No. E/1081/2019 and E/263/2020, the community called on the ECTDA to respect the rule of law and refrain from any further actions until legal issues are resolved.
“Given all the processes and documents herein brought to your attention, you are now properly guided and well equipped to resist the temptation of taking further action or steps which are clearly subjudice and patently lawless,” the letter stated.
In another petition dated October 5, 2025 and addressed to Governor Mbah, the community raised alarm over alleged plans by retired Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Olasoji Akinbayo, the current Commander of the Enugu State Forest Guard, to deploy personnel to forcibly seize their communal land in collaboration with “vicious land grabbers.”
“We alert Your Excellency to an information at our disposal to the effect that the Commander of the Enugu State Forest Guard, retired DCP Olasoji Akinbayo, acting in concert with some vicious land grabbers who are his friends, is allegedly mustering about four units of Forest Guard members under his command to invade our communal/ancestral land,” the community alleged.
They further accused the former police officer of a history of intimidation and abuse during his time as Deputy Commissioner of Police in Enugu State.
“Our community was visibly placed under siege as the said retired DCP Olasoji, at the behest of his paymasters, the land grabbers, used truckloads of police officers to garrison our community, arresting and hurriedly arraigning some hapless members on trumped-up charges. Funnily, none of the charges was sustained in court,” the letter recalled.
While commending Governor Mbah for his strides in infrastructure and development, the community urged urgent intervention to prevent a potential crisis.
“Act fast, Sir, to avert any breakdown of law and order. A stitch in time saves nine,” they pleaded.
In a related petition to the Inspector General of Police, also dated October 5, 2025 and copied to the AIG, FCID Annex, Enugu, the community claimed that retired DCP Akinbayo might now be using the Forest Guard to pursue objectives that the Nigeria Police Force can no longer undertake due to the IGP’s earlier directive barring officers from involvement in land matters.
“It is easy to discern that resort to the members of the Forest Guard by retired DCP Olasoji and his co-conspirators is certainly as a result of your stern warning to members of the Police Force against interference in land matters,” the petition read.
“We strongly believe the source of information about this pending attack against our community as it were, by retired DCP Olasoji, to be reliable, credible and actionable,” they added.
As at the time of filing this report, neither the ECTDA, the Forest Guard Commander, nor the Enugu State Government had issued any formal response to the allegations raised by the Obeagu community.
