Residents of Umuenu Village in Umuawulu Community, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to uphold a Supreme Court judgment on a disputed parcel of land, insisting the matter was conclusively settled decades ago.
The appeal followed a peaceful protest held at the Umuenu Village Hall on Wednesday, where the community rejected the intervention of Deputy Governor Dr. Onyekachi Ibezim in the dispute, arguing that there was no basis for mediation over a case already decided by the apex court.
Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the President of Umuenu Village, Mr. Bernard Mbolu, said the Supreme Court, in a 1973 judgment, affirmed the village’s ownership of the disputed Agu Umuoma and Agu Umuofuu lands after a prolonged boundary dispute with the neighbouring Awgbu community.
He alleged that although the judgment settled the matter, Enugwu Village revived the dispute in 2020 and has since sought to support claims that the land belongs to Awgbu.
Mbolu also accused members of Enugwu Village of harassing Umuenu residents, alleging that a former village president, Humphrey Obi, died after he was attacked during one of the confrontations.
Also speaking, a 96-year-old retired teacher, Elder Stephen Igwechukwu Okoye, claimed that attempts to involve the Deputy Governor were aimed at intimidating the community and undermining the Supreme Court’s decision.
He appealed to Governor Soludo to ensure that the judgment is respected, stressing that matters already decided by the Supreme Court should not be reopened.
The protesters maintained that they would continue to pursue lawful means to protect their rights while urging the state government to enforce the court’s ruling.
