By Dennis Agbo

The Opi community in Nsukka local government area and Ekwegbe in Igbo etiti council area of Enugu state have protested the long incarceration of a lawyer, Mr. Onyekachi Ugwu in Enugu correctional Center over matters related to land dispute in Ekwegbe community.

Ugwu who hails from Opi community was however summarily arraigned four months ago in a Magistrate court over alleged charges of cyberstalking and kidnaping and has since then been remanded in the correctional center without the matter moving to a high court with competent jurisdiction on such allegations.

The communities, therefore, on Friday, marched to the Enugu government House in protest over the matter, demanding the immedate review of the matter and for the intervention of Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu state.

It was gathered that when the bail application for the lawyer came up at the Enugu Magistrate Court, a former Secretary to the Enugu State Government, SSG, Dr. Dan Shere brought in new petition against Ugwu as one of the persons that masterminded his (Shere’s) Kidnap on 27th October, 2022.

Worried by his continued detention without any charge as the Magistrate Court declined jurisdiction to try the new charges, the communities marched to the government House to seek the help of the Governor for the release of their son and lawyer.

Addressing newsmen after submitting their petition to Governor Mbah, mother of the lawyer, Mrs. Monica Ugwu pleaded with Dr. Shere to bring home whatever the matter is to be resolved amicably and called on the state government to come to her aid.

Mrs. Ugwu who broke down in tears said: “My son who has been a great friend and confidant of Dr. Shere has been in detention for four months. I don’t know what went wrong and the brotherhood they shared was destroyed.

“I’ve gone on my knees to beg Dr. Shere to please bring the matter home let us know what went wrong but he has ignored all my pleas.”

When asked what she was told her son did, the mother said “my son is a lawyer and they said he was offering legal services to the people of Ekwegbe and that was the problem. In the midst of that, we started hearing that he was involved in kidnapping. My son isn’t a Kidnapper, he’s lawyer and was contracted by Ekwegbe people.

“He’s a brother to Dan Shere, they’re from the same village and community, the day they came to kill Onyeka was because he’s standing with Dan and I don’t know the cause of this misunderstanding between the two of them.

“I’m on my knees and begging the government and Dr. Shere to please come to my aid and let my son free. For over 4 months I haven’t seen my son, the only thing I was told is that he’s in a yard,” Mrs. Ugwu stuttered while sobbing uncontrollably.

Also speaking, Chief Fidelis Nweze from Ekwegbe community said they contracted Barr. Ugwu to help them secure their over 2,000 plots of land which they’re at the risk of losing to some persons.

“We’re stranded because we don’t know what’s happening because we have always known Onyekachi and he can’t be a kidnapper.”

Explaining the controversy surrounding the land, Chief Nweze said they never sold their land but went into an agreement with the owners of Winners Chapel to release the land to them for a University project.

“Six villages in our community donated their lands to the church because we know of the enormous benefits a university will bring to our community.

“We have lost the university because the church didn’t come again to develop the land again as they promised and we’re supposed to sit down with them and put the oral promises made to our people on paper as well as tidy the negotiations.

“They promised to give our children Scholarship, make our son a member of the governing council of the University, give us a percentage of the work force for the junior cadre. They also promised to give the contract for the perimeter fencing to our people.”

He disclosed that the university never paid them for the land but made a monetary commitment to them which they said was a paltry sum because it’s not enough to buy the land.

He called on the Governor Mbah to come to their aid and ensure the release of their lawyer and their land not encroached into.

When contacted, Shere failed to respond to inquiries on the matter but a source close to the former SSG said the matter was confusing.