Stakeholders of Ogui-Nike have reaffirmed a recent court judgment declaring that no part of the Ngwo community falls within Enugu North Local Government Area or any part of Nkanu land.
The position was adopted at a stakeholders’ meeting held at Lyon De Gold Hotel and Resort, where community leaders reiterated their commitment to defending the territorial and legal rights of Ogui-Nike.
Addressing participants, the convener of the meeting, traditional chief and medical practitioner, Samuel Ngwu, said the community could no longer be intimidated following what he described as a clear judicial pronouncement on the matter.
He stressed that Ogui-Nike’s ancestral rights remain non-negotiable and must be protected.
Ngwu urged stakeholders to engage a Constitutional Senior Advocate of Nigeria to work with Ogui-Nike legal experts in consolidating the judicial victory and advancing it within the political and administrative space of Enugu State.
He also recommended the formation of a sub-committee of indigenous lawyers and elders, as well as the creation of a legal fund to support future actions.
According to him, the struggle is generational and aimed at safeguarding the interests of future descendants of the community.
The renewed position follows a judgment delivered on December 16, 2025, by Justice C. O. Ajah, which held that the creation of Ukwuna Autonomous Community lacked legal foundation, as no recognised autonomous community known as Enugu-Ngwo existed within Enugu North Local Government Area from which it could emerge.
The suit, marked E/642/2024, was instituted by the recognised autonomous communities of Ogui-Nike and Umunevo Ogui-Nike, seeking judicial interpretation of laws guiding the creation and recognition of autonomous communities in Enugu State.
In his ruling, the judge examined the Enugu State Autonomous Communities Recognition Law and noted that its schedule recognises only Ogui-Nike and Umunevo Ogui-Nike as autonomous communities within Enugu North LGA.
The court found that no oral or documentary evidence established the existence of any other legally recognised autonomous community in the council area as of May 25, 2023, when Ukwuna Autonomous Community was created.
Justice Ajah clarified that the case was limited to determining compliance with statutory procedures and due process in the creation and recognition of the disputed community.
While acknowledging the presence of indigenous Ngwo-related settlements within the local government area, the court held that such settlements had not been legally recognised as autonomous communities under existing laws.
Consequently, the court declared the creation and recognition of Ukwuna Autonomous Community null and void for lack of statutory backing and granted all reliefs sought by the plaintiffs, including a perpetual injunction restraining authorities from recognising or treating Ukwuna—or any similar entity—as an autonomous community in Enugu North LGA outside the provisions of the law.
