Tensions remain high in Enugu South Local Government Area as leaders of the Obeagu community have firmly rejected recent assertions made by Private Estates International West Africa (PEIWA) regarding land ownership and development activities within the Enugu Lifestyle and Golf City (ELGC) project.

In a statement signed by key community leaders including HRH Igwe Mike A. Nnukwu (Anyanecheibe III), President General Hon. Mike Ogbonna (Okwadike), Vice President Barr. Sunday N. Ogbodo, Secretary General Chief Reuben Nnamani Okafor, and Litigation Chairman Hon. Chiene I. Chiene, the community dismissed PEIWA’s latest communication, dated May 13, 2025, and signed by Gozie Okoye, as misleading and without merit.

“The letter was not particularly addressed to anyone, which we could have easily dismissed as the last desperate acts of drowning fellows,” the statement read.

“but since its contents are laced with bogus claims, distortion of facts, wishful thinking and threat, intended to mislead members of the public… we must respond in order to put the records straight.”

The disputed lands, according to the community, include territories such as Agbana, Ugwuorie, Onususu, Akparata, and Isi Oke, areas they assert are ancestral lands passed down through generations.

They claim that PEIWA, under the guise of development, has engaged in fraudulent practices.

“It is a story where a group of desperate fellows then led by one Kingsley Eze used the name of PEIWA, connived with some compromised officials of then Enugu State Government under the administration of His Excellency Sullivan Iheanacho Chime and illegally shared out our ancestral lands in the name of New Township Development,” the notice read.

“They parcellated our lands and in a most egregious manner, began to sell. While we groan in pains and sorrow, they selfishly smiled to their banks with proceeds from such sales.”

“There was no benefit conferred on us, neither did commensurate benefit inure to the Enugu State Government.”

The community also cited the outcome of several legal proceedings and police investigations as evidence supporting their claims.

” In addition to ongoing legal battles at the Enugu State High Court, various investigations carried out at the highest levels of police hierarchy unequivocally affirmed our ownership of the lands,” they said.

“Some of the purveyors or promoters of this heist were recommended for trial and appropriate charges have been filed against them at the Federal High Court, but they chose to evade service.”

Attention was also drawn to Gozie Okoye, the signatory of PEIWA’s letter, who the community claims had a significant role in securing a N2 billion loan using the contested lands as collateral.

“Is it not atrocious and extreme form of corruption that Gozie Okoye, for his selfish interest, applied for loan for his company and, in abuse of his office, used the money deposited by the public and domiciled with the bank to feather his nest?” the community asked.

They called for law enforcement authorities to investigate Okoye’s involvement in the transaction, questioning whether his actions amount to criminal misconduct.

Additionally, the community cited institutional backing for their position.

“The Enugu State House of Assembly did on the 19th December, 2024 adopt the Report of its Special Committee on Land Matters/Dispute wherein the activities of PEIWA were clearly reprimanded.”

Obeagu community further urged the general public to disregard PEIWA’s statements, referring to them as nothing more than “the latest ranting by PEIWA and its agents.”

Lagos State Special Offences Court in Ikeja has sentenced Mamman Nasir Ali, son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman Ahmadu Ali, and Christian Taylor, a Sierra Leonean national, to 14 years imprisonment each for their involvement in a ₦2.2 billion oil subsidy fraud.

Justice Mojisola Dada delivered the ruling after the court found them guilty of an amended 57-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against them and their company, Nass Man Oil Services Limited.

The defendants were initially arraigned in 2012 on 49 counts, including conspiracy to obtain money by false pretences, obtaining money by false pretences, forgery, and using false documents.

The EFCC accused them of violating the provisions of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, as well as the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.

According to the EFCC prosecutor, Seidu Atteh, the convicts fraudulently collected ₦2.2 billion from the Federal Government on or about September 9, 2011, under the petroleum subsidy scheme.

They allegedly submitted fake documents, including a forged “Gasoline Analysis” report for the vessel MT Overseas Limar, which was said to be issued by Saybolt Concremat.

“In her judgment, Justice Dada said she found the evidence presented by the prosecution compelling.”

She stated that the defendants’ actions not only led to financial loss for the government but also “undermined the integrity of Nigeria’s oil subsidy programme.”

In addition to the custodial sentences, the court ordered the forfeiture of assets and bank accounts linked to the fraudulent scheme.

Furthermore, Justice Dada issued arrest warrants for two other individuals, Oluwaseun Ogunbambo and Olabisi Abdul Afeez, who remain at large.

A horrifying discovery has rocked the quiet community of Umuojor village in Umumba Ndiagu, located in Ezeagu Local Government Area of Enugu State, where a teenage girl was rescued from the home of a well-known native doctor, Levi O. Obieze, popularly known as Ezeani or “E de play, e de show.”

In a shocking twist, the rescue operation also uncovered two decomposing bodies inside a soakaway pit in his compound.

The incident began on Monday when the young girl was abducted while accompanying her father to the farm.

A local resident, who spoke anonymously to journalists, recounted the deceptive tactics used in the abduction.

“The little girl was walking with her father to the farm on Monday when two men riding on a motorcycle stopped and pretended that their motorcycle had developed faults,” the witness said.

“One of the men told the father of the little girl to please help them with his cutlass to use and fix the fault in the motorcycle, which the man obliged.”

“They said the fault would require pushing the bike and begged him to help. It was in this process that one of the men grabbed the girl and jumped onto the motorcycle, and they zoomed off.”

The father, realizing what had happened, immediately raised an alarm, prompting the local vigilante group to organize a search mission.

By that evening, villagers heard a girl’s cries coming from a nearby bush, which led the search team to Obieze’s residence.

“Following the sound, the search party located the child inside the soakaway pit within the compound of the flamboyant native doctor,” the eyewitness added.

According to reports, the native doctor tried to prevent the vigilantes from entering his premises.

However, they overpowered him, entered the compound, and managed to rescue the girl.

A further search of the premises revealed something even more disturbing, two decaying bodies at the bottom of the same soakaway pit. One of the bodies was said to be that of a pregnant woman.

Obieze, infamous in the region for his lavish lifestyle and penchant for spraying money at events, is currently on the run, accompanied by his four wives.

A full-scale manhunt has been launched by security agencies to track down the fugitive.

In the wake of this horrifying event, high-ranking government officials, including Honourable Vita Ndu, Chairman of Ezeagu Local Government Area; Rt. Hon. Chima Obieze, representative of Ezeagu Constituency in the Enugu State House of Assembly; and the Enugu State Commissioner of Police, all visited the crime scene.

Acting on directives from the state governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, the Council Chairman initiated the demolition of properties belonging to the suspect on Tuesday.

This move, authorities say, is part of a broader crackdown to reinforce public safety and underscore the state’s zero-tolerance policy on criminal activity.

Authorities also confirmed that two men allegedly working as kidnappers for the native doctor have been arrested.

These individuals, captured by the local vigilante group, are now in police custody as investigations continue.

Operatives of the Enugu State Police Command have arrested four suspects for allegedly conspiring to stage a fake kidnapping and extort ₦2 million from the victim’s parents.

According to a statement released on tuesday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Daniel Ndukwe, the arrests were made on May 24, 2025, around 1 pm, by officers attached to the Nsukka Sector of the Anti-Cultism Tactical Squad.

The suspects include 21-year-old Chidera Godwin Ako, who reportedly faked his own abduction, along with Okechukwu Philip Chidalu, 19; Ifeanyi Ugwu, 20; and 35-year-old Ossai Chigozie, a recently released ex-convict.

A locally fabricated single-barrel gun and two live cartridges were recovered during the arrest.

Chidera was declared missing on May 4, 2025.

On May 21, his alleged accomplices used his phone to send a ransom demand of ₦10 million to his parents, along with a video showing him bound, appearing assaulted, and threatened with the recovered weapon.

The distraught parents transferred ₦1.5 million on May 22, but their son was not released.

After sending an additional ₦500,000, police tracked the suspects to a POS centre where they were attempting to withdraw the funds. All four were apprehended and reportedly confessed to the crime.

The Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, psc, described the incident as regrettable and directed further investigations to apprehend anyone else involved.

He also urged the public to immediately report suspected kidnappings and exercise caution before making ransom payments, noting that some incidents, as in this case, may be staged.

A report by SB Morgen Intelligence has identified Imo and Anambra as the states most severely affected by violent activities linked to the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), an outlawed separatist group that has been agitating for the independence of southeastern and parts of south-southern Nigeria since 2021.

The group’s Monday sit-at-home directive, introduced in August 2021 following the arrest of IPOB leader Nnamdi Kanu, brought the region’s economy to a near standstill, turning once-bustling cities into ghost towns.

This order, according to analysts, has become a tool for enforcement through violence, looting, arson, targeted assassinations, and intimidation.

In a four-year span, southeastern Nigeria has witnessed 332 violent incidents resulting in 776 deaths, with Imo and Anambra accounting for the majority of these figures.

“Southeast Nigeria faces a deepening security crisis with a sharp five-year rise in violence: 332 attacks and 776 deaths (2021-2025). Imo is the epicentre (130 incidents, 332 deaths), followed by Anambra (94 incidents, 202 deaths),” the SB Morgen report stated.

The data further reveals that violence intensified in 2024, with 133 recorded incidents and 313 deaths, a threefold rise compared to 2023.

While no state in the region is untouched, Imo and Anambra have borne the brunt, largely due to heightened IPOB/ESN activity and forceful government countermeasures.

“Violence surged in 2024 (133 incidents, 313 deaths), a threefold increase from 2023. No state is spared, but Imo and Anambra are worst hit, linked to IPOB/ESN activity and state responses,” the report added.

Imo’s vulnerability, according to analysts, is deeply rooted in its political instability and military operations like the infamous Operation Python Dance.

These factors have allegedly fostered distrust between the state and its citizens, pushing many to sympathize with the separatist cause.

The report also linked Anambra’s challenges to its economic and political prominence in the southeast.

As a major commercial center with strong pro-Biafra sentiment and urban development, the state provides a fertile ground for violent mobilization.

“Additionally, both states’ proximity to rural areas and porous boundaries make them vulnerable to infiltration by militants, while the fragmented security apparatus further exacerbates vulnerabilities,” the study noted.

Ebonyi, in contrast, has experienced significantly fewer violent events, recording just 30 incidents and 61 deaths during the same period.

Analysts attribute this relative calm to the tough security policies implemented by the state’s leadership.

“This is significantly lower compared to the other states, indicating that Ebonyi has been relatively less affected by the violence sweeping through the region.”

Earlier in April, there were signs of improvement in Enugu and other southeastern states, where the notorious sit-at-home order appears to be gradually losing its grip.