The Akaeze Heritage and Economic Development Forum (AHED) has called on the state government and security agencies to enforce the Supreme Court judgement that ended the age-long land dispute between Umobor in Akaeze and Ogwor in Ishiagu communities all in Ivo Local Government Area, Ebonyi State.
The President of AHED, a non-political, non-religious and socio-economic group, Mr. Emmanuel Ude, condemned in strong terms the recent attacks on Akaeze indigenes from Umobor by their Ogwor neighbours from Ishiagu over the same land, whose case had been rested by the apex court.
The Supreme Court sitting in Lagos had on September 27th, 1991, delivered a landmark judgment on the case marked SC.3/1990, which was brought before it by the Ogwor people in Ishiagu.
Ogwor people took the matter to the apex court after the appeal court ruled in favour of Umobor people in Akaeze.
But the apex court still delivered its judgement in favour of the Umobor people in Akaeze.
Ude lamented that ever since the judgment was delivered, Ogwor people had never obeyed the apex court ruling, but in defiant with the judgement continued to harass, intimidate, inflict bodily wounds on the Umobor people.
The AHED boss described the continuous attacks that had left many Akaeze indigenes injured and maimed as provocative especially coming after the Supreme Court had in a landmark judgement decided the land dispute in favour of Umobor.
He wondered why the people of Ogwor in Ishiagu had refused to obey the judgement of the apex court describing their violent conduct as contemptuous and a flagrant violation of law and an act of disobedience to the court.
The President lamented the recent onslaughts that left many Akaeze indigenes riddled with bullets and called on security agencies especially the police to fish out the aggressors.
He named some of the Akaeze victims, who sustained bullet wounds during the series of attacks as Friday Ngwoke, Unegwu Ajali, Joshua Chukwu, among others saying they only escaped death by the whiskers.
Ude said: “We hereby condemn in strong terms the actions of the Ogwor people of Ishiagu. The recent attack is one too many and it must stop in the interest of peace and brotherliness.
“We view the attack as provocative and unwarranted. It is needless because there is no more land dispute between Umobor in Akaeze and Ogwor in Ishiagu as the Supreme Court, the highest court in the country had resolved the dispute and delivered its judgement in favour of Umobor people in Akaeze. The Elueke land is no longer in dispute following the judgement of the apex court.
“The people of Ogwor are not above the law and they must obey the judgement of the Supreme Court. We are calling on the state government, the local government and security agencies to mandate the Ogwor people to obey the judgement.
“Another misleading claim is that Ogwor people are now referring to a part of the Elueke land as Ovia Ogwor. They are claiming that they have obeyed the Supreme Court judgement by leaving the Elueke land but that Umobor people are encroaching on another land called Ovia Ogwor.
“We are calling on the Governor of Ebonyi State, Rt. Hon. Francis Ogbonna Nwaifuru, to include this in his unification strides in Ebonyi State. We are also calling on Ivo Local Government authorities and security agencies especially the police to investigate the ongoing attacks on our people and arrest all the persons behind them.
“They must be made to face the wrath of the law to serve as deterrent to anyone or group of people either from Ogwor or Umobor not to go such destructive extent as life has no duplicate”.
Ude added: “Umobor and Ogwor are neighbours who should not allow land dispute to destroy the love, respect, friendship, brotherhood, inter-marriage, schooling together, socio-economic activities and LGA that Akaeze and Ishiagu share in common and enjoy freely”.
He sympathised with the victims of the recent attacks and said AHED had already visited them in various medical facilities, where they received treatments.
He said AHED would formerly petition security agencies in the state and the Inspector-General of Police over the development. END