Residents of Abor community, Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, Thursday, dismissed media report that some of them were planning to commit suicide following the intention of the state government to acquire their ancestral land.
They said there was no iota of truth in the publication.
Addressing journalists at the residence of the oldest man in the community, Ichie Idenwagu Charles, the chairman of Amaezike village, Ichie Offo Uchenna said the alleged suicide attempt was “a creation of mischief makers and blackmailers”.
Accompanied by other elders of the community and youth leaders, Uchenna said contrary to claims by the Ngwuagu village, the said land was a subject of litigation before an Enugu High Court prior to the inception of the present administration, adding that their rival neigbouring village had been trespassing on the property against the order of the court.
The community leader said the Enugu State Government was intervening towards an amicable settlement of the land dispute involving the two villages.
While giving insight into the controversial land, he said, “My community is not having any issue with the Enugu State Government and nobody is threatening to commit suicide anywhere, contrary to the media report. The land in question belongs to Ngwuagu and Amaezike villages. The land has been a subject of dispute in court since 2006.
“We beckoned on the State Government to mediate and assist us as father to settle the problem we are having over the land. Our neighbouring village, who are now laying false accusation aganist the state govermnent, went there, parcelled the land, cancelled our previous perimeter survey. They went there started building house and selling the property to individuals, neglecting court order. The court told us to farm and not to build houses.
“But they disobeyed the court and even threatened to kill any one of us from Amaezike that visits the land. They sold the land, they are not living there as they falsely alleged.
“So, that is why we begged the State Government to come and settle this case between brothers, so that everybody will live in peace and unity in Abor.”
On suicide claims, Uchenna emphasized that, “There is no committing of suicide anywhere, they are just using it to blackmail the State Government and attract cheap popularity.
“I repeat, nobody is committing suicide, our ancestral home is in Abor, Udi Local government area, that land in question is a grass land that belongs to two of us.
“Whoever is laying that accusation against the Government has to be questioned because what they are doing is to deliberately castigate the government of the people.”
