The protesters, numbering in hundreds including elderly men and women, youths, and children, on Wednesday marched through the community with placards, chanting solidarity songs.
Residents of Ugwuto, Nsude Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, have again taken to the streets protesting what they described as a sustained attempt to fraudulently take over their ancestral land in a plot involving some state government officials.
The protesters, numbering in hundreds including elderly men and women, youths, and children, on Wednesday marched through the community with placards, chanting solidarity songs.
The community had first protested on Sunday calling on Governor Peter Mbah’s intervention.
With placards carrying various inscriptions, the community called out the company, which gave the name as Enpower Energy Ltd, owned by a resident from the neighbouring community.
They wondered why the man did not take his own community land for the so called investment.
Some of the placards’s inscriptions read: “We Say No To Land Grabbers.” “Enpower Leave Our Land Alone.” “Enugu Governor, Peter Mbah Save Us From Land Grabbers,” among others.
The residents vowed that their land cannot be secretly acquired without going through proper channels, while calling out some government officials who hide behind the company to take over their land.
Elder Vincent Ukwuani, who spoke to journalists lamented that the company’s plot to unlawfully take over their land began in 2019, and despite the matter being in court, the Managing Director, one Emeka Ene has continued to encroach on land with impunity.
He said that his actions were being supported by some government officials who wants to use him to grab their land without due process and compensation.
”The people called Enpower came to our land without authorisation and began to destroy our crops. They came with bulldozer. The land is called ‘Ugwuto Land’ and the invasion on the land started six years ago,” Ukwuani said. “The matter which is pending in court was adjourned to December 19, 2025, yet they are still in our land destroying our crops.”
He lamented that members of the community opposing the fraudulent acquisition of their land are being hounded by the state government with the police and other law enforcement agencies to silence the community.
Another protester who gave his name as Linus Ugwuoga corroborated the statement of elder Ukwuani, saying that they will resist the company from taking over their land illegally with their last blood.
”The matter which is pending in court was adjourned to December 19, 2025, yet they are still in our land destroying our crops. We have other government projects in our land such as Water Reservoir, International Market but we are not complaining. But these people called Enpower, we don’t know them,” he explained.
Hon. Emeka Joshua Ozochi, another indigene of the community and former LG candidate, alleged that the company has been intimidating community members, harassing, arresting and detaining residents for protesting against invasion of their lands and destruction of crops.
“They will come and arrest innocent people just to intimidate them with 9th Mile police and Distress Response Squad (DRS).”
Ozochi added that the community has a master plan and survey plan for the land, and all necessary fees have been paid to the government, wondering why the same government will give out their land to a company for private business without their knowledge.
He said, “The land we are talking about, government approved it for us. There is master plan and survey plan. The government gave us numbers with which is known as “Ugwuto Hilltop Layout” and all the fees needed to be paid were paid by this community to the government of Enugu State.
”This is a community that is peace loving. We do not want to take laws into our hands if not, the story won’t be same. This matter is in court and all the parties supposed to maintain status quo but the Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia asked the Enpower people to commence work on the land even when there’s a court order barring them from working there.
”But there are some people in government who are in the know of what the man is doing. The local government chairman Hon. Hyginus Ogbonna Agu is aware of it because the life of our President-General is at risk. They have threatened him and the last was at 9th Mile Corner where they pursued him and it was by the grace of God that he escaped alive,” he narrated.
He called on Governor Peter Mbah to intervene and stop the illegalities of his officials to forestall breakdown of law and order in the community.
Mrs. Evelyn Richard Onoh, a women leader, expressed concern that some government officials are backing the company, despite the ongoing court case, which the court had already restrained the firm from entering the land, describing it as height of impunity.
“We do not need them in our land. Let Governor Peter Mbah tell them to leave our land,” she said.
Onoh revealed that the community had donated vast land to the State government without compensation, including land for the Enugu international market, twin tank that supplies water to Enugu metropolis, Ebeano bypass, ancient Igbo pyramids, and Virgin forest.
“We, women of Ugwuto community, we stand at the back of our husbands. Anywhere our husbands stand, we are there and any fight they fight, we are there to fight for them,” she declared.
SaharaReporters efforts to speak with Emeka Ene, the Managing Director of the Company, were unsuccessful as he rejected several calls put across to him.
Meanwhile, a staff of the company told SaharaReporters that the state Government granted them “freedom to operate” and directing them to commence operations forthwith in the land.
A letter from the office of the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) to the Managing Director of Enpower, dated April 2, 2025, appears to support the company’s claims.
The letter titled: “FREEDOM TO OPERATE (FTO) AND COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS,” dated April 2, 2025, reads in parts: “Sequel to the meeting with ENPOWER representatives and the Ugwu-Uto community in Nsude Udi LGA, at the office of the Secretary to the State Government on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. Having considered the presentations by the parties present and reviewing the submitted documents, the Enugu State government has come to the decision that the project should proceed immediately.
”ENPOWER is accordingly granted freedom to operate and directed to commence operations forthwith. Note that this office must be apprised of the work plan, schedule of tasks and timelines in operationalizing this approval.
”Accordingly, all necessary support as outlined in the agreement will be honoured by the government, especially the pacification of the host communities, security and other assistance necessary for the successful completion of the project.
”Finally, the company is required to mobilise to the site and adroitly deliver a quality project,” the letter signed by the SSG, Prof Chidiebere Onyia read.
However, the community leaders claimed that the letter was issued without their knowledge or consent.
