By NewsCritic Reporters
President General of Ohuhu Welfare Union Worldwide, Sir Obi Aguocha, has said that the Ohuhu people will no longer tolerate further encroachment on Ohuhu lands by land grabbers, and neigbours, adding that they are committed to maintaining the sanctity and ownership of Ohuhu communities’ ancestral lands.
The President General spoke against the backdrop of complaints by Ohuhu frontline communities about boundary disputes and encroachment on their ancestral lands by neigbours, during the PG visit to the Ohuhu frontline communities on Tuesday, January 28th, 2020.
Sir Aguocha, stressed that the Ohuhu people will take every appropriate measure to protect their ancestral homes and lands that belong to them against any form of encroachment, while pointing out that the Ohuhu ownership of the border lands is not in dispute.
NewsCritic online reports that some Ohuhu communities sharing borders with their neigbours are have a running battle over boundary issues and encroachments on their ancestral lands. Some of these communities are Uhuala Ofeiyi, Umudiawa Ofeiyi, Amafor Isingwu, Umuoriehi Isingwu among others.
The people of Umudiawa and Uhuala autonomous communities for instance are having boundary issues with Umuoma and Umudibia communities of Imo State that predates the country’s independence. While the people of Amafor Isingwu and Umuoriehi are having boundary disputes and encroachment on their lands from our Ibeku brothers.
According to the traditional ruler of Umudiawa Autonomous Community and Chairman Ohuhu Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM Eze Nnamdi Ofoegbu, both the Abia State Deputy Governor and his Imo State counterpart have come to seek peaceful resolution to the land dispute involving vast expanse of Ohuhu ancestral lands.
He revealed that in 1958 the Ohuhu people of Umudiawa Ofeiyi won the boundary case at the court after many lives had been lost, adding that despite their victory their neigbours in Imo State have refused to sheath the sword. Eze Ofoegbu told the PG Ohuhu Welfare Union and his team that visited them that at the moment the Umuoma and Umudibia people have returned back to a federal high court over the boundary issue, disclosing that for the second time the Ohuhu people won the case.
He revealed that as he speaks the Imo people have gone to the Supreme Court Abuja asking them to review the earlier judgement that affirmed the Ohuhu ownership of the ancestral lands. He said that the late senator Ben Uwajimogu asked them to leave the colonial judgement that favoured them because it has expired.
The Chairman of Uhuala community during his speech, said that during the war the community was highly populated because the entire Umuahia lived at the area which was safe. He said if not for the love of God they would have packed out from their homes due to boundary crisis, adding that they are under siege from their neigbours.
The community leader solicited for the assistance of the OWU PG in providing them with concrete electricity poles to enable them extend electricity in their communities.
Earlier, Obi Aguocha assured the people of Uhuala Ofeiyi that they are part and parcel of Ohuhu people, saying that is why the leadership of OWU visited to identify with them. Aguocha promised to draw the attention of the appropriate agencies and some illustrious sons of Ohuhu to assist them with the electricity poles.
