Delta Community Vows To Reclaim Part Of Disputed Land

The families of Idumu Esegbena and Idumu Ozor families of Umunede in Ika north east local government area of Delta State have vowed to reclaim the disputed land sold to Prince Paradise Global Concept (PPGC), by their Emuhu neighbours in Ika south local government area of the state.

They accused the Okonye brothers, Mr. John Okonye and Augustine Okonye, of Ehumu of deceitfully selling the portion of land in which Mr. John Okonye, had pleaded with them to allow him continue his pineapple plantation farm after the Supreme Court gave victory to the Umunede people in 1994, to owner of (PPGC), Prince Emmanuel Okonye, whose surname coincidentally are same, after he paid up till four years when the disputed land was leased to him.

Speaking during a press conference on Friday 2nd April 2021, at the Agadagidi Civic Centre in Umunede, the Lead person, Chief Gabriel Egbule, flanked by the former President General, Umunede Progressive Union, Chief Augustine Aghaulor, Mr. Tony Ngozi, President General of Umunede Progressive Union and others, the Community noted that they are a peaceful people who do not believe in carrying guns and drumming for war.

Hear him: “in 1994, the land in dispute finally came to an end when the Supreme Court awarded judgement to Idumu Esegbena and Idumu Ozor families of Umunede. One would have expected that after the determination of this case by the apex Court in the land that the Emuhu people would allow peace to reign but they did not. They kept trespassing on our land, destroying our crops and farmlands, properties and this went on.

“About four years ago, the Chief of Emuhu came down to the palace of Umunede and informed our Obi that some people wanted to come and invest. They wanted to build a mighty housing estate between Emuhu and Umunede and that he wants both of them to jointly sell this land to these people. Of course, the Obi consulted his President General who advised him against going ahead with what the Chief of Emuhu is proposing.

“ecause the man came here and said the land does not belong to Emuhu people after the Supreme Court judgment and so we thought the case has ended not knowing that the Chief of Emuhu went ahead on his own and sold that land. We noticed bulldozers and caterpillars destroying our crops, uprooting our palm trees, cassava plants and we went to find out what was happening. We found out that a company was building an estate.

“After the victory of the Idumu Esegbena and Idumu Ozor families, one John Okonye, a native of Emuhu, have a pineapple plantation in that same area. Haven seen that his people has lost the case, came to our people and said please, I know you own this land now but please allow me to continue my pineapple plantation as your tenant. Our people are soft minded people, unlike what Emmanuel Okonye is trying to tell the world. We believe in progress and development.

“And we told him that if you want to continue to use the land, you have to come and sign a lease agreement with us and you will become our tenant and you will pay our rent and the man agreed. So, we went into an agreement, we leased the land on which John Okonye have his Pineapple plantation and he paid till fourth year when he suddenly stopped paying and when we went to him to demand rent, he said my people asked me not to pay rent to you again that the land after all belongs to them.

“This land that was the Pineapple plantation which John Okonye leased from Idumu Esegbena and Idumu Ozor is what John Okonye turned around and sold to Prince Emmanuel Okonye of Akumazi where he is now building an estate which he calls Prince Paradise Estate. John Okonye failed to realized that he has signed for us a lease agreement, we have the documents showing that he was paying rent to us”, he said.

He expressed worries that the Okonyes could sell what does not belong to them, pointing out that Prince Emmanuel Okonye, bought land from the wrong source just as the Community regretted that part of the land they mapped out for the federal government to build an industrial training Institution for youth was what Prince Emmanuel Okonye, is building his so-called housing estate.

He equally noted that the community has done everything possible to follow the legal way, “When we got wind of what was happening, our lawyers wrote to Prince Emmanuel Okonye informing him that the land on which he is building his estate belongs to Esegbena and Ozobo families that he should leave that land, he did not respond”, he said.