Tension is brewing in Owo, the hometown of Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, as residents on Monday embarked on a peaceful protest against what they described as a military occupation and destruction of their property by personnel of the Nigerian Army.
The demonstrators alleged that soldiers were determined to forcibly seize their ancestral lands despite an existing court order restraining them from entering the disputed area.
Appealing to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for intervention, the villagers, made up largely of women and elderly residents, held placards with messages such as “Remove soldiers, restore peace,” “Owo land is not barracks,” “Stop the invasion,” “Respect the constitution,” “Say No to Military Land Grabbing,” “President Tinubu, save us from military intimidation,” and “Army, leave our land alone.”
Speaking to journalists during the demonstration, the community’s legal counsel, Barr. Igwenagu Ngene, recounted that the military’s presence in the area began in November 2015.
According to him, the residents were stunned when they awoke to see their houses marked “Remove, Army land, keep off,” while soldiers erected beacons and signboards asserting ownership over the entire town.
Ngene explained that the community immediately petitioned the General Officer Commanding the 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, in November 2015, urging him to withdraw the troops.
When no action was taken, he said they proceeded to alert the Enugu State Government and the State House of Assembly, describing the situation as one of intimidation, land grabbing, and an unprecedented attempt to overrun a whole community.
“Except in a case of military conquest, where after conquering, you possibly annex it and make it part of your own, but this is not the case here,” he said.
He further explained that the Ministry of Lands in Enugu invited both the Army and the community for deliberations, but the soldiers allegedly declined to comment and continued insisting that the entire land belonged to them.
Ngene noted that the matter was eventually taken to the National Assembly, where lawmakers conducted hearings and a fact-finding mission.
According to him, the legislators directed the Army to vacate the land after the military reportedly failed to provide any proof of ownership.
He said the soldiers left temporarily following this intervention but returned in April 2025, prompting the Owo community to seek legal redress once more, leading to an injunction in suit number 375/2025.
He stated that Justice C. O. Ajah of the Enugu State High Court subsequently ordered the Army to stay off the property pending the resolution of the case.
At his palace, the community’s traditional ruler, Igwe Godwin Okeke Arum, who appeared visibly distressed, lamented the ordeal.
“It is disheartening that a whole community will be asked to quit to nowhere for no reason other than the fact that some people are wielding guns and jackboots bought with taxpayers’ money,” he said.
Recalling the start of the crisis, he added, “Sometime in 2015, a team of the Nigerian Army came to the community and started mounting billboards around the entire community, asking us to quit, that this is Army land. We became astonished and we engaged our legal advisor. But they are not heeding the courts or rule of law.”
According to the monarch, the military had even “threatened to take over my palace, locations of our community shrines, and ancestral home of the governor, who is father of the state. Can you imagine that?”
He further alleged that the soldiers had harassed residents, demolished ongoing projects, and driven potential investors away.
Similarly, the President-General of the community, Chief John Ogbu, urged both the state and federal governments to step in.
“This is a direct plea to President Bola Tinubu as the father of the nation to come to our aid. He should halt this attempt to snatch our lands at gunpoint. The Army has continued to make life unbearable for our people through their acts of intimidation and abuse of power and their guns,” he said.
He added that many residents could no longer access their farms due to fear of armed soldiers occupying the area.
“Investors who are flocking into Owo are being turned back by military fiat. This is a democracy, not a military rule; hence we seek the president’s protection. The Army is not above the courts or laws of Enugu State and Nigeria,” he concluded.
When contacted, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Ayeni said he would look into the allegations, requesting that evidence of rough handling by soldiers be provided.
