Tension rose in Owo, the hometown of Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, as residents poured into the streets to protest what they describe as a forceful push by the Nigerian Army to seize their ancestral land.
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The crowd, made up of women, elders, and youth, marched through the community with placards calling for peace and an end to the presence of soldiers.
LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT
The protest followed claims that soldiers entered the community despite a court order asking them to stay away. Residents said the renewed military presence has brought fear and damage to properties, warning that the situation could escalate without quick intervention from the Federal Government.
LIST OF APPLICATIONS FOR REGULARISATION OF AREA COUNCIL LAND DOCUMENTS NULLIFIED/CANCELLED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF FCT
Community lawyer Igwenagu Ngene recalled that their first encounter with the Army happened in 2015, when residents woke up to buildings marked for removal. He said the Army placed billboards and beacons around the community, claiming ownership of the entire land. According to him, letters sent to the 82 Division, the Enugu State Government, and the House of Assembly at the time produced no change, pushing the people to seek help from the National Assembly.
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Ngene explained that lawmakers visited the area and later told the Army to withdraw after they failed to present any document showing ownership. He said the soldiers stayed away until April 2025, when they returned, leading the community to secure a restraining order from the Enugu State High Court. He insisted that the Army has ignored the order.
At the palace, the traditional ruler, Igwe Godwin Okeke Arum, described the situation as heartbreaking. He said the Army’s actions threaten their homes, shrines, and even the ancestral compound of the sitting governor. The monarch accused the soldiers of harassing residents and disrupting ongoing projects.
The community’s President-General, Chief John Ogbu, appealed directly to President Bola Tinubu to stop what he called an attempt to take their land by force. He said residents live in fear, farmers avoid their farmlands, and investors have withdrawn from ongoing developments due to the presence of armed soldiers.
Owo leaders insist they want peace restored and the court order obeyed, stressing that no institution should place itself above the law.
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