Anambra: Confusion as Police ‘block’ women, others from entering communal land

Police officers deployed to Agu-Nawgu in Awka, Awka South Local Government Area (LGA), Anambra State, Saturday, clashed with some women, youth and men from the capital city under the auspices of Ezinano community.

Blueprint correspondent who was at the scene, reports that trouble started when about 50 people from the community visited Four-ways estate, a property at Agu-Nawgu on a fact-finding mission, only for some officers spotted at the site to fire teargas canister on air, while claiming that the Commissioner of Police (CP) sent them to secure the land.

Speaking on the spot, a native of Ezinano community, Chief Richard Onuorah, said, “We are shocked at what the police did. When we were approaching the entrance gate to the site, the police ordered us to ‘stop there’, ‘don’t come closer here’. The next thing we saw was that they shot teargas canister at us.

“We were actually on a peace mission. We came to find out why the police chased away our women, developers, farmers and others working on the land. This land belonged to us. We did the fencing, wrote our name on a pillar at the entrance only for us to see another name on it.”

Also speaking, another native of Ezinano community, Chief Arinze Ekelem, while noting that his people defeated Enugu-Agidi community in several courts over the land, appealed to the police not to fight them over what they duly inherited from their forefathers.

But when contacted on phone, the Anambra State Police Commissioner, Mr Aderemi Adeoye, said his command neither deployed officers to Agu-Nawgu land nor ordered them to shoot at anyone.