By Dennis Agbo

A popular Master of Ceremonies (MC) in Enugu state, Mr Pascal Anike (Also known as Ikpemaraeziokwu) has called out to the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of Enugu state, the state Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, security agencies, Civil Society Organizations and the general public to come to his immediate rescue and save him from his kinsmen who he alleged want to kill him and forcefully take over his land inheritance.

According to Anike, his father’s large expanse of land, measuring about 100 plots of land has suddenly become attractive and brought envy of his people of Umunagbo village of Ugwogo-Nike against him, just because the landed property has become gold and a fast-selling commodity in Ugwogo-Nike, Enugu East local government area of Enugu state.

Anike accused certain members of his village, particularly a former member of Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon Christopher Ugwu, of masterminding the demolition of his houses, and economic trees; plot to silence him and take over his property despite the legal injunction on the land which its matter is pending in Enugu state High court.

But Ugwu denied knowledge of anybody taking over Anike’s land, stating that he was not even aware of where the disputed land is located.

According to Anike: “In 1972, when I was just about 12 years, the Amankpaka village that presently has become an autonomous community in Ugwogo-Nike, gave land at Agborogodo to my father because my father was an in-law to them. They gave him the land to cultivate and do some other things and he lived there, built his own house there in 1973 and since then we’ve been leaving there till he died in 2002 and nobody came during his life time to say that the land did not belong to him and there was an agreement written in October 1972 in respect to that portion of land. Practically, the measurement of the land should be close to 100 plots of land.”

He disclosed that earlier than his father’s death, nobody from his own Umunagbo village of Ugwogo came to contest land and in 2005, he built his own house in the property and nobody encroached on the land even up to 2015 when he built another commercial property in the land after which the youths of Umunagbo moved in and demolished the two buildings.

“I made a report to the Unity Divisional Police station, Ibagwa-Nike, which moved in and arrested some people who were charged with malicious damage and the matter is still pending at the magistrate court. After that, some people came to make peace, including the former Administrator of the Iyiukwu Development centre, Silas Oguegbe who set up the Mbuluiyiukwu peace committee.

“The Committee members came, including the traditional rulers from Ogbeke-Nike, and Mbano-Nike, who all sat on and went through the matter. They went to the site and saw the buildings that were demolished and went back to the Amankpaka that gave the land to my father and investigated all of that. Weeks after, they came up with their resolution which they wrote and gave my own copy to me and told Umunagbo people to sign but they refused to sign.

“So, the person who is spearheading these attacks and invasion on me is Hon. Christopher Ugwu who was a member of Enugu state House of Assembly. The issue here is that he said I am of the same age grade as him and that in as much as he is concerned I’m one person, I’m the only son, and that he cannot allow me to own the land,” Anike narrated.

He further disclosed that the Umunagbo village members went to the Amankpaka community where the community’s elder, Akabuogo Agboede, who died about three years ago, told the Umunagbo members that the land belonged to Amankpaka people who gave it to his late father, Raymond Anike and warned them not to disturb his son, Pascal.

“The other part of the land was given to Umunagbo community by the same Amankpaka, but my father’s own portion of land was given to him before the one that was given to Umunagbo as a village, but Umunagbo is now claiming that all the land including my father’s portion belongs to them which Amankpaka people told them that it is a lie. All the documents they signed with my father and the one they signed with me in 2020 when the committee went to the land and did their survey, signed and gave me the survey plan and other documents indicating that the land belongs to me.

“The committee said that the boundary of the land given to my father was not known to them which made the community, Amankpaka, to go there and said from so, so and so the place was what they gave to my father, and which was delineated into a survey plan which I have everything for anyone that wants to get into the matter to see the documents. Interestingly, this matter is before the court of law at the Enugu state High court. The matter is pending in court while they have gone into the place and started surveying and when I came to ask them why, they threatened that they would deal with me, that they will kill me and no person will question them, that they have the right to do anything.”

Anike said he was crying out because his kinsmen who are threatening to kill him could as well do that and tag it that herdsmen killed him. As a result, he has written a petition to the commissioner of police in Enugu state, through his lawyer, informing the police that his life and that of his family are under threat and asking the police to come to his aid.

“I’m now pleading to the international community, the human rights organizations and every well-meaning citizen and organization to come to my aid because I don’t know what else to do. They want to take my birthright from me, these people don’t want to respect the court and went in to start a survey on the land and that is contempt of the court.

“’ The traditional ruler of Amankpka came on February 9 and pleaded with the court that he wants to look into the matter, which the court conceded the privilege for him to mediate up to March 29 for him to come back and report to the court. But these people are not respecting the traditional ruler, they are not respecting the court and not minding that the traditional ruler came with some delegates to the community assembly and asked them if they will permit him to get to the court to ascertain the facts, if they would allow him to mediate on the matter and they agreed, but after that they have now gone into the place and destroyed many things including palm trees and other economic crops, even buildings have further been demolished,” Anike cried out.

When contacted, the traditional ruler of Amankpaka community, HRH Igwe Engr Damian Edeh said that he had gone to court where he pleaded with the Court to allow him mediate on the matter and confirmed that he was handling the matter.