A fresh crisis is unfolding in Akpugo, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State, as the Umuedenwoko family and Cooperative Worldwide accuse their traditional ruler, along with certain unnamed government officials, of obstructing the enforcement of a long-standing court judgment delivered in their favour.

Speaking with journalists, the group’s legal representative, Gabriel Oforma Agbo, said his clients had spent more than 13 years in court fighting to reclaim their rights over the 299-hectare Ngene-Ogbugbo farmland.

He revealed that the Umuedenwoko Cooperative had “lawfully acquired the land since 1978 under a customary right of occupancy,” adding that they had since developed it with palm plantations, economic trees and other agricultural ventures.

“This land was properly acquired from the old Anambra State, issued with customary right of occupancy, equivalent to having a Certificate of Occupancy. They have paid ground rent since 1978 and invested heavily on the land,” Agbo explained.

According to him, tensions escalated after the Ugwuafor autonomous community was created, prompting the traditional ruler to assert ownership over lands belonging to various villages.

“The monarch decided to claim that because he is the traditional ruler of the community, he automatically became the owner of all lands belonging to these villages. In law and in fact, that is wrong,” he stated.

Agbo further alleged that the monarch authorized the allocation of about 35 hectares of the disputed farmland to the Nigerian Police Force for the establishment of a proposed Police College, even though the rightful owners were not properly compensated as stipulated by the Land Use Act.

“We are not saying government cannot take land. But here is a land already developed by local corporators who should be encouraged. Instead of compensating them, the Igwe moved in with machines, destroyed economic trees,” he said.

He noted that following the lengthy legal dispute, Justice A.O. Anidi delivered a judgment in June 2023 in favour of the Umuedenwoko family, and pointed out that none of the key parties, including the Inspector General of Police, the Commissioner of Police and relevant Divisional Police Officers, filed an appeal against the verdict.

To reinforce their demands, the community addressed an open letter to Governor Peter Mbah, accusing their traditional ruler of “sponsoring communal conflicts, misleading government agencies and manipulating political institutions” to block their access to the land.

In the letter dated November 4, 2025, the group lamented that the monarch sought to get the Enugu State House of Assembly to initiate a panel of inquiry into “a judgment that had already been delivered by a competent court.”

“Our clients wonder why your government fails to consider the scandalous attitudes of the said traditional ruler whose actions would ordinarily be considered sacrilegious,” the letter, signed by their lawyer, stated.

They appealed to the governor to set up a judicial panel to look into what they called the “multiplicity of judgments” and to scrutinize the roles allegedly played by government officials in actions aimed at undermining the courts.

Health experts are urging Nigerian parents to reduce how often they bathe their newborns and infants, warning that the popular habit of washing babies twice daily may be harmful.

According to specialists who spoke with DAILY GAZETTE, a single daily bath is sufficient for most babies, while preterm and low-birth-weight infants should not be bathed every day.

The practitioners explained that excessive bathing and heavy wrapping can cause babies to lose body heat quickly, exposing them to colds and a range of skin conditions often seen in childhood.

They stressed that newborn skin is extremely delicate and can easily become irritated when subjected to multiple daily washes or harsh products.

A Consultant Neonatologist, Dr. Fatima Abdullahi, noted that while one bath per day is enough for healthy, full-term babies, premature and very small infants require even less.

She warned that washing a baby’s head daily leads to rapid heat loss and advised limiting head washing to once a week, ensuring it is done last and the hair is thoroughly dried.

Abdullahi added that extended bathing sessions or the traditional practice of scrubbing and rinsing a baby several times during a bath are unnecessary and potentially harmful.

In cooler weather, she said, mothers should wait until the environment is warmer before bathing their babies, keeping the process short to avoid excessive exposure to cold.

She advised parents to use mild soaps only, cautioning against black soaps mixed with additives, which can irritate infants’ sensitive skin.

For bathing preterm babies, Abdullahi recommended gentle daily cleaning with light oils rather than water baths, explaining that such infants can safely go weeks without a full bath.

Addressing longstanding cultural beliefs, the neonatologist dismissed the idea that babies who are not washed frequently will develop body odour as adults, stating that the claim has no scientific basis.

She also urged mothers not to rush to bathe newborns immediately after delivery, explaining that the vernix, the creamy white coating on a baby’s skin, helps regulate body temperature in the early hours of life and should not be scrubbed off with soap, ash, or detergent.

Another expert, Consultant Dermatologist Dr. Folakemi Cole-Adeife of LASUTH, warned that overbathing and over-wrapping babies contribute to common skin issues such as heat rash and diaper rash.

She recommended sticking to one daily bath, avoiding heavy sponges, and dressing babies lightly in hot weather, especially when they stay indoors.

Cole-Adeife highlighted the need for frequent diaper changes to prevent irritation and encouraged parents to use moisturising products formulated with gentle ingredients like glycerin, shea butter, ceramides, and coconut oil.

She advised that any persistent skin problems should be evaluated by a healthcare professional rather than treated at home.

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.