Tension over armed hoodlums’ invasion of Enugu community

Tension has enveloped the sleepy Umu-Ezuboke Umualor community in Isi-Uzo Local Council of Enugu State. It followed last weekend’s invasion by armed hoodlums suspected to have come from nearby Ebonyi State.

The Guardian learnt that the incident, which happened at midnight, Saturday, left about four persons hospitalised with multiple gunshot wounds.

One of the victims, Methodist Ejiagbo, who narrated his ordeal on a hospital bed yesterday, said: “Three months ago, some boys, suspected to be from Abakaliki, came to my house and told me that they will invade us. They said they will kill me and take over my house and land. One of them said he will take over my house because it is the most beautiful house around.

“So, on Saturday, while returning to my house, I saw two Hilux vans and a Sienna vehicle. The occupants wore clothes like police uniforms. They collected phones and machetes from our people returning from the farm but let go of one young boy, as one of them said the boy was not from Umu-Ezuboke.

“Then at night, at about 11:00 p.m., they came in and started shooting sporadically. They shot me. They started shooting everybody, using machetes on some. They even clubbed some peoples’ hands.

“They said that our land belongs to Amankanu. It’s a combination of Amankanu and Abakaliki people.” Reacting to the incident yesterday, the National Chairman of Umu-Ezuboke Umualor Development Union in Isi-uzo Local Council, Hope Edeh, attributed the attack to a large expanse of land, which the Amankanu community in Nkanu East Local Council allegedly sold to an official of the state government.

Edeh maintained that the disputed land was part of the larger Umu-Ezuboke Umualor land which the past administration of Sullivan Chime negotiated, with a view to siting the Enugu Correctional Centre away from the current congested location in the heart of the city. But the negotiation was not concluded.

He stressed that joint security operatives have been mobilised to comb the area, with a view to arresting those responsible for Saturday’s attack.

Edeh stated that the process of the acquisition of the land, started during the administration of former Governor Sullivan Chime, was not concluded, insisting that the land belonged to the Umu-Ezuboke Umualor community.

He said:”The attack was carried out by a combination of Amankanu and Ezza people who sold our land, claiming it’s their land. We have the Enugu State boundary commission… and we are Umualor in Isi-Uzo Local Council, while Amankanu is in Nkanu East Local Council.”

Meanwhile, the police have yet to speak on the matter, despite repeated calls and messages put across to the spokesperson of the command, Daniel Ndukwe.

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