By Ugochukwu Alaribe
The Aro-Umuonyeukwu village in Aro-Ngwa ancient kingdom in Osisioma Ngwa council area of Abia State, cried to Governor Alex Otti over what it described as the continuous acquisition of lands from the community for alleged development purposes.
The community lamented that the state government had acquired their land along the Enugu- Port Harcourt expressway for a trailer Park without paying compensation.
The community that spoke during a protest along the expressway lamented that the government is also making efforts to acquire the ‘Egbelu’ land located opposite the trailer park to build a mobile police barrack, while it has done nothing with the land acquired for the trailer park in the community.
Some of the placards displayed during the protest read; ”We have no land for farming If govt acquires the egbelu land after acquiring the trailer park ”; “We no longer have land for our next generation”; Our land is not for grabs”; Govt can’t acquire two vast land in one community”; “Hunger will kill Aro Umuonyeukwu people If you acquire another land”; among others.
Head of the Aro Umuonyeukwu village, Chief Onyekachi Aaron, said the village is pleading with Governor Otti to come to the community’s aid, stressing that the community is yet to recover from the shock of the land acquired from them for the trailer park.
He said, “We are not happy because we don’t have another land to give to the government after the one acquired for the trailer park. We have nowhere to build or farm if this Egbe land is acquired from us. There will be a crisis if this land is taken because we have nowhere to farm or build. Where will our future generations live?”
Also speaking to Vanguard, the second-oldest son of the community, Nze A. E. Alaribe, stated that taking another vast piece of land from the community after the trailer park is akin to gradually wiping the Aro Umuonyeukwu people from the face of the earth, and urged the Governor to intervene and save the community.
He disclosed that the community had finalized plans to divide the Egbe land among 600 families, only to learn that the state was about to acquire the land to build a mopol barracks.
“Nothing was given to the community for their land taken for a trailer park. Now, they want another large piece of land from the community. Do they want us to live in the air? We didn’t have any land to farm last year because of the trailer park. We had planned to share our land with 600 families before we learned that the government was about to acquire it.
We are pleading with the Governor to hear our cries.”
On their parts, the youth leader and chairperson of the Women’s meeting of the community,
Chukwudi Njoku and Mrs Joy Alaribe, respectively, said the people have nowhere to farm and die from starvation if the land is taken away from the community after the trailer park.
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