Posted by Native Americans in the Awka community, particularly those from the Ezinano region, have objected to police officers being stationed on their property, Agu Nawgu.
The community’s indigenous members claimed that the deployment had delayed property development on the area, despite earlier reports claiming the deployment was the consequence of a communal dispute.
Police officers halted the indigenous people when they marched in large numbers on Saturday to examine the property, claiming they were under orders not to allow anyone within the disputed territory.
In order to frighten the natives, the operators also discharged gunfire.
During the inspection, Chief Kanayo Obidigbo, a well-known member of the community, accused Anambra State police officers of being behind the deployment. He claimed that because they had shown clear interest in the case, they were not impartial.
“We are here to inspect Agu Nawgu,” Obidigbo remarked, addressing the media. Our great-grandparents conquered and gained this land. It is a large area with a radius of roughly 60 kilometers. This farm, which we grew up knowing, has a 1949 survey plan created by our illiterate fathers.
“They rented out the land to the Enugwu-Agidi people so they could start farming, but when they stopped paying the rent, our ancestors sent them packing.
The Ezinano community of Awka, which consists of roughly 20 villages, owns the area in dispute. The Awka people own even the estates that you see here.
We are arguing that it is inappropriate for law enforcement to be on our property. We do not know the interest of the Deputy Commissioner of Police who sent the officers here.
“They have put this site’s development on hold. This building belongs to me, but the cops have taken over the entire space and are shooting at us, so I am unable to do my work.
“How come the Enugwu-Agidi community, our tenants, are now the ones arguing their case against us, the landlords, just because the police are on their side?
“You witnessed how the police shot at us, the helpless Awka natives, who don’t even have sticks or knives, today.” As you can see, the police sent officers to the land and opened fire on us as we attempted to enter it for an inspection, despite their claims that they had not dispatched operatives to our site as they had informed the IGP.
“We implore the Inspector General to look into the police and order them to remove their agents from that area.”
CP Aderemi Adeoye, the commissioner of the Anambra State Police, denied dispatching police officers to the disputed territory when contacted by journalists.
He did not, however, specify who sent the spies to the location.