Residents of the Umugama village, Ukwulu, in the Dunukofia Local Government Area of Anambra State, have called on the security agents and the government to save them from the activities of land grabbers.

Addressing journalists in Awka on Saturday, the Chairman of the Umugama Progressive Union, Peter Okoye, said the land grabbers, allegedly led by one Philip Dilibe, had been terrorising the community despite several reports and complaints to relevant security agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force Headquarters, Abuja.

Okoye, who led some members of the community to register their grievances at the Anambra State Police Command headquarters, Awka, lamented the high level of intimidation, harassment, extortion and threat to life by the suspected land grabbers.

He alleged that the land grabbers were selling the community’s land at will and daring anybody who challenged them by engaging gunmen to destroy the villagers’ farmlands and crops.

He lamented that his life and that of his people were being threatened on a daily basis.

Okoye recalled that on February 25, 2022, some gunmen shot and wounded two persons from the community, but for the quick intervention of the police, more harm would have been inflicted on the people.

He also accused Dilibe of collaborating with others outside the community to sell the community’s land to prospective buyers without the consent and approval of the leaders of the village.

He accused Dilibe of hiring thugs from neighbouring communities such as Enugwu-Agidi, Nawgu and Awkuzu to stage violent protests against the traditional ruler of Ukwulu Kingdom, Igwe Peter Uyanwa, who stood by the village against the activities of the land grabbers.

Okoye advised Dilibe to desist from his action, noting that “the ancestors of the land are currently against him; I believe in the ability of the police to restore peace to this community.”

The women leader in the village, Mrs Nonye Okeke, appealed to the police to sanction Dilibe in order for peace to return to the village.

Dilibe’s group had earlier on protested at the state police command headquarters, Amawbia, by blocking the gate.

Members of the group, who were dressed in black, accused the monarch, Uyanwa, of land grabbing and using the police to arrest and lock up members of the community, who opposed his decision.

Dilibe accused the monarch of selling off the land and asked him to leave the land for them.

The state police spokesman, DSP Ikenga Tochukwu, advised the aggrieved parties to get an attorney to articulate their grievances in the form of a petition and the Commissioner of Police would work on it to ensure peace in the community.

“We are happy that you are protesting peacefully and we want to assure you that the commissioner will look into your petition once you write him formally, and he will ensure that investigation is carried out and your grievances will be addressed,” Ikenga told the protesters.

Igwe Uyanwa, on his part, denied having anything to do with the Umugama village land.

He said, “That village is having their own crisis, and I’m not from that village, and I have nothing to do with their land even though I’m their traditional ruler

“They even told me that they wanted to protest at my palace today for me to settle the dispute they have, but I said I didn’t want to receive visitors. What you must know is that more than 80 per cent of the protesters led by the man called Dilibe are not my subjects; they were just hired for the protest. I don’t have even one plot of land in the affected village.”