Ugwuto Community in Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State, on Monday, accused one Barr Ricky Agu of not stating the facts on the land dispute between the community and an investment company called Enpower Energy Ltd.
The lawyer, it was gathered, is the company’s legal representative. Barr Agu had last week told newsmen that there was a tripartite agreement on the disputed land between the state government, Enpower Energy Ltd and Oildata Integrated Construction Company, which he claimed was signed in 2009.
He stated that “The agreement says that the Enugu State government intends to develop a private-public sector partnership for the attraction of investments into Enugu. The state government has full powers and authority to enter into and carry out the provisions of this joint venture agreement. The government has the power to acquire land for the public good.”
A representative of the community, Elder Emmanuel Agu, while briefing newsmen in Enugu, stated that the community never signed such an agreement. He alleged that Barr Agu, sometime in the past, visited the community, where he admitted that the disputed land was encroached on by his company.
“How come the same Barr Agu suddenly made a U-turn to tell the media that the allegation of land grabbing is a lie?” questioned the elder statesman. He added, “It is so unfortunate. The soil on which he swore is a witness.
“The claim by Barr Agu that when operations start on the land that the joint venture will pay to the community five per cent or whatever equity is due them is a scam. The Ugwuto community is not a co-owner of Enpower.”
The community called on the state government to intervene to avoid the escalation of the dispute.
According to Elder Agu, “The plot by Enpower Energy Ltd to unlawfully take over our land began as far back as 2019. The issue is already in court, yet the company has continued to encroach on our land with impunity.
“The people called Enpower came to our land without authorisation and began to destroy our crops. They came with a bulldozer. The land is called ‘Ugwuto Hilltop Layout’. The invasion of the land started six years ago. They claim that the government gave them a certificate of occupancy over the land, but the certificate of occupancy they are carrying doesn’t have the Ugwuto Hilltop layout in it. The land is located in-between Toll Gate and RCC along the Enugu/Onitsha Express Road, Udi LG Area, Enugu State.”
He called for obedience to the law by the parties involved: “The matter which is pending in court was adjourned to December 19, 2025, yet they are still in our land, destroying our crops. We have other government projects in our land, such as water reservoirs and an international market, but we are not complaining. But these people called Enpower, we don’t know them.”
He revealed that his community had already donated vast lands to the Enugu State government and regretted that no compensation had been paid to date. He mentioned the areas to include Enugu International Market, twin tanks that supply water to Enugu metropolis, Ebeano bypass, ancient Igbo pyramids and a virgin forest.
“All these lands were donated by the Ugwuto community without any compensation yet from the government. It may interest you to also know that even though the twin tanks supplying water to Enugu metropolis are located on our land, the community does not have tap water after over four decades of donating the land for the project,” he stated.
Efforts to get the state government’s angle on the disputed land did not yield positive results, as the director of information of the state’s Ministry of Works was not available when our reporter called on his office.
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