Jeff Amechi Agbodo, Onitsha
The people of Ezegbe, Umumpuma Oba, in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, are protesting what they described as the takeover of their land. The community claims that the land was acquired for the Anambra Oba International Market without adequate compensation to the owners of the land.
The land was acquired in 2002 by the Dr. Chinweoke Mbadinuju administration for an international market, in partnership with Bukham Nigeria Limited, a firm of developers.
Bukham, which has now partnered with Micpan, another company, to continue the development of the land after it had constructed more than 1,500 shops at the place, is facing a brick wall. The community is insisting on some payment, alleging that neither the firm nor the state government compensated the community before they started building development on the land 17 years ago.
The protesters, who were mostly elderly men and youths numbering about 100, picketed the site recently, demanding that the firm must pay the community compensation allegedly agreed with the state government before the commencement of the market buildings in 2002.
The residents were armed with green leaves and branches and placards with various inscriptions, including “Leave Ezegbe family land alone,” “Bukham Ltd and Micpan are intimidating Ezegbe people with unknown security agents,” “Ministry of Trade not aware of Micpan’s presence in Ezegbe community land,” and “Ezegbe community cries out to Anambra State Government,” among others.
Chairman of the community, Evangelist Benson Anajemba, alleged that the firm forcefully took over their land without compensation to landowners since 2002.
He claimed that the firm had been using security agents to harass and intimidate members of the community, saying that no amount of intimidation would make the firm to take over their land without adequate compensation.
His words: “It was agreed with the then governor, Dr. Mbadinuju, that the firm would pay compensation, provide borehole, build a school and give us 20 per cent of the land. Those things have not been done. They are threatening us with security agents. Since 2002, we have been going to the government to compel the company to pay us our compensation. It was written that the company would pay us our entitlements, but they are yet to pay.
“We are protesting now because they resumed work on the land this week. We came out to tell them to stop work on the land, but they brought armed security men. We don’t know whether they are fake, just to intimidate us to allow them continue with the job. We were not violent but peaceful in approaching the matter.
“The firm wanted to sell part of the land to the Onitsha patent medicine dealers. We protested and told them that we were the owners of the land, not Bukham. We know that government owns every land but there is a process to acquiring land, which is payment for economic trees and other compensation. We are calling on government to come to our aid and recover our land from the firm that is using the land to do other businesses. Then, alternatively, the firm should call us to a round table for us to talk business with them.”
A representative of the elders’ council of the community, Ogbuefi Daniel Ibeakuzie, said that the firm has been dribbling the community over the payment of compensation as well as other rights and entitlements over the years.
“After the firm finished developing the first phase of the land in 2003, they advertised it and traders bought most of the shops. They paid the sum of N750,000 for each shop then. In 2014, the firm came back gain that the market would take off and they collected between N3 million and N6 million from the traders, but the landowners and landlords were not given anything till date.
“No compensation was paid to us; no condition was given on how we shall benefit from the market when it starts operation as the owners of the land. Recently, the firm came back again, erecting a fence outside the market structures. We are pleading with the government to tell the company to leave our land because we have been patient enough since 2002. We have a case in the court with them over the land matter,” Ibeakuzie said.
One of the community’s youth leaders, Nze Victor Uzochukwu, said the land was forcefully taken from the community by the company since 2002.
“A firm of private developers, Bukham Nigeria Limited, now partnering with Micpan, another company, invaded our land on the claims that the state government gave it to them, only for us to continue to seek redress in that direction. Our observation was very clear: government had not perfected the ownership of the land to them.
“They have been intimidating us with security agents and thugs, and that is why we came out to protest peacefully to remind the international community, the state government and those who have interest that the lives of our young and elderly people are at risk. The forceful takeover of our land should be looked into and should be considered unacceptable by all reasonable people.
“We are beckoning on government to come to our aid and see how we can be saved from all these unnecessary invasions from the firm and its security agents. The government says that before they will cede any authority to anybody, even if it is a private developer or even the government themselves, they would have come to negotiate with the community and have some level of agreement, and that has not been done,” Uzochukwu declared.
Meanwhile, in his reaction, one of the managers of the company, Mr. Micpan Egbule, denied all the allegations. He said the government gave the firm the land and paid compensation even before the company started building structures on the land.
“The government of Anambra State is not useless, and the government had paid the community N72 million. You can confirm it from the Ministry of Land. We have investment in this place and, before now, we had been building structures. They were there and never raised a voice. The question is, why now?
“There is Supreme Court judgement on the land. The state government asked them to go to court if they had anything they didn’t understand about the land matter and bring evidence that they own the land. How can you defeat somebody in the court and they said that the judgement was wrong. Does that make any sense? We are not claiming the ownership of the land, we only want to recoup our investment and return the land to the state government.
“We invested well over N5 billion on that land. We have built 1,700 shops and we have others under construction, which is at the foundation level. We have 150 hectares of land with certificate of occupancy on the land. It is ignorance that is affecting them. We have documents, which we have given to the police and the Nigerian Army command to show that we are the rightful owners of the land for now.
“They are trying to confuse some people over the land matter. How can we come and claim people’s land without passing through due process? Is it possible? How can we go to the police or the army to tell them to come and protect our investment or to come and take over people’s land without their consent? It is not possible.
“The best way to approach this matter is, when somebody encroaches on your land, you report to the police or you go to court. Is it the best thing to protest? They should go to court and should bring documents to show that they own the land.”