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SUNDAY Vanguard, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 08116759757
LAND DISPUTE
Trouble looms in Anambra community
•Villager Villagerss send SOS ttoo Go Govv Obiano BY LEKAN BILESANMI
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nless Anambra State Governor Willie Obiano intervenes, there may be breakdown of law and order in Umunya. Three key players in
the crisis are Igwe Onyekwuluje, Mr Ekene Okonkwo Ejeh (Chairman of Odumodu community) and the youths of Odumodu. Umunya is made up of ten villages, namely: Okpu, Isioye, Ezi-Umunya, Ojobi, Ajakpani, Umu-Ebo, Amaezike, Odumodu-Enu, Odumodu-Ani and Ukunu. Onyekwuluje is from Ajakpani, and Ejeh from Odumodu-Enu. The crisis arose from Onyekwuluje’s claims against Ejeh and some community youths. Ejeh dismissed the claims as laughable and a figment of imagination. The matter has seen some of the youths on the run. It is so bad that those who ran leaving their families behind later attempted to sneak into the community, but were allegedly hounded like criminals. About five such boys were allegedly arrested and taken away by the police on August 16, 2015. The President General of Umunya Development Union, Venerable Emmanuel Odunze, said a peace committee was set on the matter and a report sent to Obiano. Meanwhile, Ejeh claimed he was in hiding as his life was in danger. According to him, some of his supporters who fled the community were cajoled back home, beaten to submission and forced to take oath of allegiance and secrecy before deities. Their homes were also
allegedly broken into and money as well as valuables stolen. While the Igwe fingered the communal land Ejeh and his executive allegedly sold as the bone of contention, the Odumodu Chairman listed other issues. Ejeh, however, acknowledged that of the more than 900 hectares of community land under his supervision, only 95 plots were sold to raise money for administrative exigencies. He
said the account and documentation were satisfactorily presented to the community congress. From Ejeh’s perspective, the crisis can be viewed from three angles. About 210.8 hectares of land was acquired from Odumodu between 1987 (200 hectares) and 1997 (10.8hectares) by the Federal Govt for Sight and Services scheme, but was not put
to use. Soon thereafter, the Ijeh exco discovered that the land was being sold by some officials of the Federal Ministry of Lands (FML) contrary to the terms of agreement of the acquisition. This forced the exco to write the FML invoking a clause in the agreement which provided that 20% of the acquired land be returned to the community citing precedence and examples in other parts of the country. Some officials from the ministry consequently visited and during their courtesy call on the Igwe told
him their mission in Umunya. The visitors were said to have handed to him the land allocation papers. But Ejeh said the Odumodu community never got the papers. Consequently, the community went to court, arguing that any land acquired for overriding public interest shall never be sold. Along the line, a foreign firm was said to have been introduced to then Gov Peter Obi which was refused C of O for large expanse of the Odumodu land and later represented to incumbent Gov. Willy Obiano. The firm was said to have proposed to build on the land 30,000 housing units, eight sports stadia, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, parking lots, etc; when the proposal got to Obiano, he
allegedly demanded to know how the firm intended to finance the ambitious project, noting that even a state government could not mobilize funds to undertake such programme. This incensed the governor who expressed how disappointed he was. The community leaders behind the proposal left the meeting thoroughly embarrassed. They came back blaming their misfortune on Ejeh. Meanwhile, the Diocese of the Niger, Anglican Communion, had in 1960 leased the land on which it built Umunya Girls Secondary School from Odumodu. The place also accommodated Anambra State NYSC camp. The church wanted to renegotiate it into a freehold. So they approached the Ejeh exco and agreed on N50million-which was to be paid by installment. They paid the first N10m. The deal is now stalemated as the Igwe, the Ejeh exco and other community leaders cannot agree on further payments.
•Tochukwu Udemezue and Nnamdi Agbata...victims of attack
Trader sues wife over female children STORIES BY OLAMIDE OJO & MARY LAWRENCE
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trader and father of five, aged four to 13 years, Mr. Cyprian Osuala, has pleaded with an Ajeromi Local Government Customary Court, Lagos to dissolve his 12- year-old marriage to his wife, Nneoma The
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petitioner accused the wife of selling his properties without his consent, sleeping outside the matrimonial home and exposing their last daughter, Mary (4), to harm. Reacting, Nneoma said her husband’s accusations were false and baseless. She told the court that Cyprian had not even paid her dowry despite the fact they had lived for 12 years and had
four children together. She said her husband grouse was that she was giving him female children, adding that it was for the reason he sacked his former wife. “Since our marriage, I have never slept outside my matrimonial home. I did not sell any mattress or generator, as he alleged; they are
all inside the house. Infact, I would approve the dissolution of this marriage if he can pay me N500,000 for my properties he threw out of our home and the court should approve that he pays a monthly sum for my upkeep and those of the children”, Nneoma said. She further pleaded with the court to warn the husband from interfering in her business.
‘My hubby drinks to stupor’
n Ajegunle Customary Court has been told to separate Mrs. Rukayat Jimoh and her husband, Mr. Jimoh. Mrs. Jimoh, a trader and mother of two, Amidat, 4 years, and Abdulahi, 7 months, pleaded with the court to
dissolve her marriage alleging that her husband never paid her bride price nor was he taking good care of her and the children. “He drinks to stupor, often beats me without provocation and does not pay the children’s school fees”, she said. The petitioner alleged that
there was no love lost in the marriage and pleaded with the court to grant her custody of the children.
… My wife is a thief - Husband
Meanwhile, Mrs. Morufat Rabiu, dragged to the court, was accused by her husband, Mr. Oladipupo Rabiu, of always stealing his money and engaging in fight with cotenants and himself. The respondent, on her part, alleged that her husband was a pathological liar. She said the husband wanted the
dissolution of the marriage because he got a new wife and so wanted to send her packing. “I still love my husband”, Morufat confessed to the court. Meanwhile, the presiding judge, Mrs. V.O. Sanni, advised the couple to make peace, asking the petitioner to forgive his wife and settle things amicably. At the same court, Mrs. Rashidat Salaudeen, a trader and mother of four, pleaded for the dissolution of her marriage of 20 years to Mr. Moshood Salaudeen. She
said she was seeking divorce because her husband had been unemployed for the past three years and therefore could not fulfill his obligations as father and head of the family including taking care of the children. Rashidat said she had been playing the role of bread winner in the marriage. The court president, Sanni, told the couple to think over the relationship, adding that the court was more interested in them resolving their differences than separating them. Another trader and mother of
one, Mrs. Tawakalitu Waheed, said she was seeking divorce from her three-year-old marriage to Mr. Olarewaju Waheed on the grounds of irresponsible conduct. “He does not pay any bills. I am the one paying for everything, yet he accuses me of using my concubines money to prepare meals for the family ”, she said, adding, “Based on that false charge, he stopped eating the food I prepare.” The matter was adjourned till September 8, to enable the respondent be present in court.