Land Tussle: Rights Group Petitions  Mbah On Behalf Of Citizen Over  Alleged Harassment By Police

By;   KELVIN OKPARA,  Enugu 

A human rights organization,  Civil Rights Realisation and, Advancement Network (CRRAN) has petitioned  Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State on behalf of a resident of the state, Mr. Cletus  Nwebor over alleged continuous  harassment and intimidation  by one Chief Paul Oscar Udoji, using the police in a land matter pending in court.

The petition titled, “RE:  Appeal For Justice; Continuous Harassment of Cletus Nwebor by Chief Paul  Udoji Over a Land Matter” , was sighed by President of CRRAN, Barrister Olu Omotayo and made available to newsmen on Tuesday  in Enugu.

According to Omatayo, the rights group, wrote the petition  to the governor on behalf of Pa Geofrey Nwebor and his son, Mr. Cletus P. Nwebor of No. 18/20 Nike Avenue G.R.A. Enugu. 

When our correspondent and some journalists visited the said land, Tuesday, they observed that some armed uniform policemen were actually stationed at the place, while bricklayers and other building workers were seen  busy mixing cement and concrete.

The human rights activist noted that the petition  become necessary in view of the alleged  continuous harassment of the petitioners, using the instrumentality of the Police, adding that the Nwebors have decided to hand over the said land back to government. 

He disclosed that last week at the alleged  instigation of Oscar Udoji, the Commissioner of Police, Enugu, allegedly stationed a police Van from the Anti Cult Base, Enugu, to give protection to the bricklayers illegally extending and erecting fence from Oscar Udoji land to cover the land in dispute belonging to Mr. Nwebor.

Going down memory lane,  he revealed that  Pa. Nwebor informed his organization that he was given a portion of land at Nike Avenue, G.R.A. Enugu, in 1989, by Professor Pius Okigbo whom he served,  adding that  he thereafter perfected the title and got a document of Land Allocation from the State Ministry of Lands in 2019. 

“The land in question is around 1000sq meters, and the then Commissioner for Lands Hon. Solomon Onah at a point in time visited the land. The letter of Allocation is attached herewith as Document 1.

“Pa Nwebor had before that time been cultivating on the land since he didn’t have the money to build thereon. The neighbor of Professor Okigbo Mr. Michael Amechi Chukwudinma who owns Plot 130, Nike Avenue GRA Enugu whose land covers an area of 4558.15 square yards as shown in Building Lease No.6 Vol 321, Page 6, EN11441, sold the property with the building thereon to Mr. Oscar Paul Udoji vide a Deed  on 27th March 1991.

“Mr. Oscar Udoji with the connivance of his in-law Mr. Ifeanyi Nwandu and Engr Dozie uprooted and destroyed at night the concrete pillars showing the demarcation of the area covered by Plot 130, Nike Avenue GRA Enugu as shown on “Eastern Nigeria Survey Department Plan No.EN.633” and took over Pa Nwebor land at the back of his fence claiming that its part of his land. 

“He thereafter, broke his fence on the original demarcation and is now forcibly building on Pa Nwebor land and attempting to build the new fence to cover the entire land of Pa Nwebor joined to his property, with the  support of the Commissioner of Police, who have directed the Police from the Anti Cult Base to arrest Cletus Nwebor anywhere they see him. 

“The Building Lease and the title documents through which Oscar Udoji acquired titled to his property are attached herewith as Document 2.

“Also attached to the Building Lease is “Description , Extension to Ekulu Layout, Plot 130”, which shows demarcation of the area covered by Plot 130, Nike Avenue GRA Enugu as shown on “Eastern Nigeria Survey Department Plan No.EN.633” Document 3.

The organization recalled that Mr. Cletus Nwebor and his father Jeofrey Nwebor, had sometimes in November 2022, made a petition to the Commissioner of Police Enugu State titled: “RE: ILLEGAL AND UNLAWFUL FRAUDULENT REMOVAL OF BOUNDARY MARKS WITH INTENT TO DEFRAUD BY MR. PAUL OSCAR UDOJI AND MR. IFEANYI NWANDU”. 

It stated that while the matter was being investigated at the State CID Enugu, the duo of Paul Oscar Udoji and Ifeanyi Nwandu  allegedly ran to Police Headquarters Zone 13 and made a petition against the Nwebors. 

Omatayo claimed that the issue of trespass to Nwebors’ land was not investigated so also the criminal act of fraudulently shifting boundary marks/beacon made against Udoji and his cohorts  was not investigated, stating that  instead the Nwebors’ became suspects at Zone 13.

“Cletus Nwebor was earlier arrested in respect of the land matter by the officers of Zone 13, Anambra. The arrest was instigated by Chief Oscar Paul Udoji who wanted to forcefully take over Cletus fathers’ land. 

Omatayo further  recalled that after the arrest and  alleged extortion, they embarked on human rights advocacy and with the support of the media the money extorted from him by the Police, the sum of N500 thousand naira was refunded back to him based on the directive of AIG Olofu. 

He averred  that Cletus was later arraigned before an Magistrate Court on a six count Charge of conspiracy, threat to life of Chief Paul Udoji, malicious damage and Forcible entering upon land in Charge No. CME/701/2023, on the 11th October 2023. 

“The Charge Sheet is attached herewith as Document 4.

But based on our Letter to Appeal for Justice to the Office of the Attorney General a lawyer from the Chambers of the Hon. Attorney General Enugu State appeared in the matter and informed the court that the Hon Attorney General had written to the Police to forward the case file to him for review and necessary action. 

“The matter is still pending in court awaiting the opinion of the Honorable Attorney General; in fact the matter came up in court on the 30th January 2024, and adjourned to February 21st 2024. 

“Chief Udoji realized that the incorruptible Attorney General and his able Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) will maintain justice hence he ran again to the Police at the Anti Cult Unit Enugu, and made same complaint of conspiracy, threat to life of Chief Paul Udoji, malicious damage and Forcible entering upon land against Cletus and two of his friends who were arrested and detained at the Anti cult base on Friday 2nd February 2024.

 “The two Cletus friends detained are,: Engr Emeka Nwokoye and Mr. Ifeanyi Nzekwe (the CSO of GRA Neighbourhood Watch).

The body posited  that they  believed that even if the land papers of the Nwebor’s are defective, the land still belongs to the government of Enugu State. 

“A land of over 1,000sq meters GRA, cannot be a free land as maintained by Oscar Udoji and his neighbor at the back Mrs.  Aniebonam who has also encroached on the land, building a poultry.

Omatayo added that    Nwebor had directed his office  to write to the government that instead of Oscar Udoji and Mrs. Aniebonam to confiscate their property with the connivance of the Commissioner of Police, the government should take over the land and pay them for the expenses they have incurred on the land.

The organization therefore, urged the governor in the interest of justice intervene in the matter as the circumstances of the case demands.

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