Prominent pro-democracy advocacy group: Human Rights Writers Association Of Nigeria (HURIWA) stormed Enugu state over the weekend to investigate some cases of human rights violations including accusations against the Housing/land agency of Enugu of deprivations of rights to own movable and immovable property as enshrined in chapter 4 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria of 1999, as amended.
In a media statement by the National coordinator, HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, the Rights group also disclosed that another Abuja based civil society group TRANSPARENCY CENTRE NETWORK headed by Comrade Umar Farouk, informed HURIWA that it has forwarded a petition to the EFCC, Enugu office on alleged land rights violations.
Specifically, HURIWA stated that TRANSPARENCY CENTRE NETWORK disclosed to it as follows: “Chronogy of events and facts about ownership dispute in respect to the coal city eastern extension estate alliance situate at Enugu south LGA, Enugu state.
between 2011 and 2014, the Ugwuaji people registered 3 layouts with the Enugu state land registry, namely: promise land layout, valley layout and Umunnugwu/Ndiaga layout.
having registered and plotted the land, they freely sold to members of the public including those in the diaspora.
On July 12, 2020, the then commissioner for housing, Enugu State Vitus Okechi, suddenly without notice, moved in bulldozers and other earth-moving equipment and demolished various existing buildings and structures thereat.
this demolition led to protests from the victims and members of the community.
then Enugu state government constituted the Ugwuaji land dispute panel by virtue of letter number ens/adp/uld/cr.1/he/2020 dated September 2, 2020. curiously, the panel eventually took control of the land under which guise the state government purportedly acquired the land.
In the course of this confusion, it was discovered that certain individuals from Ugwuaji, namely:(1) Bar. Chimezie Nkwuo, (2) Hon. Bar. Sunday Noble Ngene, (3) Mr. Emeka Okeke, (4) Chief Joseph Onuh, (5) Mr. Sunday Nwankwo, (6) Mr. Okwudili Anih, (7) Chief Hon Bob Titus Ugwu (Jp), (8) Chief Sunday G. Ogbe (Jp), (9) Chief Ozo Nwafor Chukwu, (10) Mr. Victor Uchechukwu Ngene, and (11) Mr. Gideon Ugwu authored a letter dated 3rd august, but received at the ministry of lands and urban development, Enugu state on the 29th September 2020 and titled “request for your government acquisition and development of Umunnugwu/Ndiaga layout, valley layout extension and Promiseland layout, Ugwuaji Awkunanaw, Enugu south local government area, Enugu state.”
that given the date the said letter was received; it cannot be gainsaid that it was backdated for obvious reasons.
The then commissioner for housing quickly renamed these layouts which were seized with force and arms as ‘New Enugu City Layout’ and began to sell the land even before the so-called panel was established (documents are available for perusal to prove this assertion).
November 20, 2020 the ministry of lands and urban development, Enugu state issued a disclaimer signed by the commissioner, dr. surv. victor Chukwuemeka Nnam, invalidating the existence of the said new Enugu city layout.
Curiously, the same November 20, 2020 the Enugu state government issued a notice of acquisition of in respect of the Ugwuaji land, but also included Amechi Uwani-Awkunanaw, Ogui-Nike communities, Enugu south/Enugu north lgas, also signed the Dr. Surv. victor Chukwemeka Nnam, then commissioner for lands and urban development.
february 9, 2021 dr. surv. Victor Chukwuemeka Nnam, as then commissioner for lands and urban development issued a public notice titled: Cancellation/revocation of layouts within government acquired area at Ogui/Ugwuaji/Amechi Awkunanaw listing (1) valley layout, Isiagu Village Ugwuaji, (2) Ummunnugwu-Ndiaga Layout, and (3) Promised Land Layout, Umunnaji Ngene, Ugwuaji as cancelled layouts, and renamed as coal city eastern extension layout/ estate.
On Monday august 2, 2021 after a long wait by the people, the Enugu state government made a publication in national dailies (for instance, see pages 17-23 of daily sun newspaper of august 2, 2021), titled: list of genuine purchasers of land from the genuine land-owning villages of Ugwuaji community as authenticated by the respective executive committees of the villages and other affected persons.
December 29, 2021 Coalcity eastern extension estate alliance limited was registered at the corporate affairs commission (CAC), and shortly after this registration, the Enugu state government then allotted the entire land in favour of this new company. surprisingly, the panel members and other government officials of Enugu state or their proxies became the company directors.
Prior to the CAC registration, the so called panel had invited the ‘genuine land-owners’ as contained in the list for a meeting where they were urged to make payments of n3.7m into certain fidelity bank account, representing 50% of the cost of infrastructure in the layout, while remaining 50% was to be borne by the government.
Having registered the company, an office was established at golden royal hotel, independence layout, Enugu with their billboards and fliers advertising the same land which the government claimed to have acquired for overriding public interest.
Upon discovery of this unwholesome and deceptive actions of the panel members, there were public outcry and agitations by the victims of this scam foisted by the government.
subsequently there was a lull until the present administration of Governor Peter Mbah took over in 2023, and from nowhere, the name ‘new Enugu’ resurfaced, and conceived as a mega project, covering almost 10,000 hectares of land and spanning 4 local government areas of Enugu state.
The recent trip by the governor to China where he launched his pet project in Guangzou, on 08/09/2024 being the new Enugu city development has re-ignited this issue, and the fears of many stakeholders and interested parties is on the propriety of the governor’s action in trying to surreptitiously include the 278 hectares under the ‘new city’ which the so called panel had midwived and renamed coal city alliance estate,
which ab-initio has been a subject of lingering contentions and disputes including ongoing legal battles.
It is prayed that the Enugu state government should refuse any temptation of including the 278 hectares belonging to numerous purchasers (namely those recognised by panel members as ‘genuine’ land owners, and those deliberately excluded by so called panel for inexplicable reasons).”
The Rights group stated that it was told by Transparency Centre Network in Enugu that it had already endorsed the petition with the EFCC and submitted a detailed statement.
HURIWA said during her visit to Enugu at the weekend, it got many more complaints by Enugu residents who expressed fear that the state government has demolished their property which they claimed to have procured legally just as the Rights group is preparing a detailed presentation to be sent to governor Peter Mbah to urge his government to provide redress to the residents whose houses his government demolished illegally.
*Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko,
National Coordinator,
HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA). February 24th 2025.
