Without swift intervention from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Isienu Amagunze community in the Nkanu East local government area of Enugu State faces a dire situation stemming from alleged land grabbing by Chief Uche Nnaji, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, with the implicit backing of his brother, Nnoli Nnaji, a member of the Federal House of Representatives.
In a letter entitled “A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE – COMMUNITY LAND CRISIS NEED NOT CONSUME MORE LIVES IN OUR COUNTRY!” addressed to the President, the Isienu Amagunze Town Union (IATU) raises urgent concerns about the “impending danger and time bomb” posed by the actions of Tinubu’s Minister, Chief Uche Geoffrey Nnaji, and his brother, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji.
In a statement released to the press in Enugu on Sunday evening, the town union condemned the actions of the two men, stating, “They are wielding their Federal influence to intimidate and attack our people, thereby undermining the harmonious relations that Nkanu communities have enjoyed for generations.”
Providing historical context regarding the ownership of the disputed land, IATU noted, “In 1996, the former Nkanu Local Government Area was divided into Nkanu East and Nkanu West LGAs, with Amagunze designated as the headquarters of Nkanu East and Agbani retaining its status as the headquarters of Nkanu West. The traditional rulers, particularly those from the boundary towns, endorsed the memorandum of understanding that established Nkanu East under the leadership of the late His Royal Highness Igwe Vincent Nnaji of blessed memory, who was the Igwe of Ndiuno Uwani Akpogu, the autonomous community adjacent to Isienu Amagunze.”
“To be clear, there has never been any land dispute between Ndiuno Akpogu and Isienu Amagunze. These two neighbouring communities have coexisted peacefully for over 300 years until these last six years, coinciding with the acquisition of Federal power by the aforementioned individuals. It is concerning that these men are not from the Ndiuno-Uwani Akpogu community bordering Isienu Amagunze; they hail from a distant autonomous community, far removed from the boundary town.”
“Approximately four years later, Minister Uche Nnaji suddenly appeared and began erecting warehouses on our community land, which he subsequently claimed would be transformed into a factory. Shortly thereafter, his brother, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji, dispatched thugs to demolish our Customary Court buildings located opposite our LGA headquarters, and this attack also resulted in the destruction of a cherished monument dedicated to our late Igwe, Igwe Samuel Emeka Nnaji, in a shocking act of provocation.”
“In retaliation, our youths mobilised, but community leaders and the Enugu State Government intervened, assuring us the Enugu State Boundary Commission would clarify the boundary concerns that arose since these brothers began asserting ownership of the area.”
“Since then, Minister Uche Nnaji and Hon. Nnolim Nnaji have continued to disturb our community’s peace. The Boundary Commission visited both communities just a fortnight ago for what they called a ‘Field Completion Exercise’ to re-establish the boundary points, fully aware that their claims over our land are baseless and that their deceit is about to be unveiled. In response, the Minister and his brother instigated further provocations that could jeopardise peace in our communities.”
The community’s statement further detailed, “On Wednesday, 11th December 2024, at 9 am, a large construction sign featuring the name of our President and Commander-in-Chief, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, along with the Federal government Coat of Arms, was erected on our land, accompanied by misleading project names. By noon that very day, bulldozers were unleashed on more than six hectares of cassava and yam plantations owned by local farmers, obliterating their crops and leaving the community aghast at such callousness.”
The community further appealed to President Tinubu to rein in his Minister to prevent further escalation of the already tense security situation in the South East region.
“We believe our President is a peaceful leader and would never endorse this blatant abuse of power displayed shamelessly by these individuals. We trust that under your capable leadership, the Federal Government would not allow any Minister to appropriate our land under the guise of a Federal development project without consulting the legitimate owners or involving our State Government or Local Council.
“Your Excellency, in light of the ongoing and unyielding security crisis in the Southeast region of Nigeria, we, the ISIENU Amagunze autonomous community, wish to prevent any further escalation of conflict. As peace-abiding citizens, we urgently plead for your intervention to rein in Minister Uche Nnaji and his younger brother, Hon. Nnolim Nnaji. We cannot predict what might happen if this provocation continues – our youths are on the brink of losing control.”
At the time of this report, chief Nnaji and Hon. Nnaji are yet to respond to SMS sent to their known phone numbers for comments on these allegations.
