The people of Umuanekeode village of Ibagwa Nike community in Enugu East local government area of Enugu State, yesterday denounced the unscrupulous activities of some members of the village, who allegedly use the name of the village to defraud people in questionable land transactions.
The deviants, according to the leaders of the village, operate like outlaws while violating various court ruling/orders from competent courts of record.
In a strong worded public notice copied to Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and the State Commissioner of Police, and signed by heads of the various families in the village, including; Chief Anike Edwin Okonkwo, Chief Calistus Okolo, Elder Eze Mbaeke, Agbo Moses, High Chief Joseph Mbannanchi and High Chief Charles Ede; the villagers dissociated themselves from the activities of such individuals led by one Ikechukwu Ngwu, while maintaining that Ibagwa Nike Community under the leadership of HRM (Dr) Emmanuel Ugwu remains one and indivisible.
The statement reads, “We use this medium to notify the general public not to deal with anyone claiming to represent Umuanekeode Village with any purported Power of Attorney.
“We state categorically that Anekeode is one of the five villages in Ibagwa Nike and the only document governing land ownership in Ibagwa Nike community is the 1963 declaration, made by our ancestors.
“We further call on anyone whether individual or group that purchased land in Ibagwa Nike Community in particular, Freedom City Layout, Ibagwa Nike to start development with immediate effect as all land disputes have been settled in Suit No E/205/2011 dated 15th day of February, 2012 and Suit No E/136/2012 dated 17th day of July, 2017”.
The villagers said that the activities of the deviants had been banned by order of perpetual injunction delivered in another Suit No E/337/2016 dated 19th day of July, 2017.
The elders and leaders of Umuanekeode went ahead to appoint a 12-man representative of Umuanekeode Village to act and take decisions for the overall interest of the village; including Hon. Ben Obinna Mbaeke and Mr. Robert Ngwu, the junior brother to Ikechukwu Ngwu, as co-coordinators as well as Mr. Donatus Okolo as PRO.
But in a quick reaction, the alleged leader of the deviant group, Ikechukwu Ngwu denied the allegations against him, especially, of causing disharmony in the village and engaging in fraudulent land transactions.
“. … We sued them to court challenging the 1963 declaration and the judge said that the matter is in another court which our lawyer told him that the matter is not in another court so they dismissed the suit, so we went on appeal challenging the ruling. We filed appeal immediately,” he said.
Meanwhile a source from the community dismissed Ngwu’s claims noting that Ngwu and his co-travelers were not part of the suits he is claiming that is in appeal, rather those who are part of the suit like Eze Mbaeke and Donatus Okolo have already concurred that the matter have been settled, and have signed to disown Ngwu.
