A legal storm is brewing in Enugu as former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Barr. Onyemuche Nnamani, has been slammed with a ₦50 million suit over an alleged unlawful seizure of ancestral land belonging to families in Amiyiagwo village, Mbogodo Agbani, Nkanu West Local Government Area.
The suit, E/1030/2025, was filed on July 31, 2025, and is currently before Justice K.I. Okpe of the Enugu State High Court.
The plaintiffs, represented by Barr. B.C. Nwobodo, are six respected members of the community; Barr. Victor C. Ogbodo, Hon. Henry Ede, Mr. Nicholas Ngene, Mr. Ekenechukwu Nnaji, Mr. Ndubisi Onovo and Mr. Ogbonna Onovo, who are suing on behalf of the Umunevo Ojianya, Umunakwufu and Umuaneke N’ Evu families.
In their statement of claim, the plaintiffs say they are the rightful and beneficial owners in possession of a vast parcel of land known as Onuno Nneche, which they assert has been in their family for over two centuries.
According to them, the land was originally founded and cultivated by their forebears; Ogbodo Anionu, Umunakwufu, and Aneke N’ Evu, through deforestation and communal settlement, and has been passed down through generations.
They claim that in 1981, a portion of the land was voluntarily donated to the Federal Government under President Shehu Shagari for a low-cost housing project, but they retained full control and possession of the remaining area.
Shockingly, they allege that Onyemuche Nnamani, who served as SSG under the administration of Dr. Chimaroke Nnamani, encroached on the land without their consent, claiming to have acquired it through Nkanu West Local Government Authority.
“To our utter disbelief, the defendant moved into our land without notice or agreement, began laying foundations and claiming the land as his own,” the plaintiffs told the court.
“We stopped him then, over 20 years ago, believing the matter had ended.”
However, they say the matter has resurfaced in a more aggressive form.
Following Nnamani’s recent appointment as Secretary of the Police Service Commission, the plaintiffs claim he returned to the disputed land, this time allegedly accompanied by police officers and thugs, who forcefully denied them access.
“The foundation for new construction has been dug. We were prevented from going near, some of us were even arrested, detained and falsely accused of damaging property and threatening lives,” one of the plaintiffs told DAILY GAZETTE.
They insist that Nnamani is not from their village and has no ancestral or customary ties to the land.
They argue that no local government has the authority to seize communal land and allocate it to a private individual without due process.
In their suit, the plaintiffs are asking the court to:
– Declare them as the beneficial owners in possession of the Onuno Nneche land and grant them customary right of occupancy;
– Issue a perpetual injunction restraining Nnamani or any persons acting on his behalf from interfering with the land;
– Award ₦50 million in damages for trespass and alleged unlawful invasion of their property.
As at the time of this report, no date has been given for the hearing.
