By Festus Ahon

ASABA—Crisis is brewing between Igbodo community in Ika North East and Onicha-Ugbo in Aniocha North Local Government Areas, Delta State, following alleged encroachment on Igbodo farmland by a native of Onicha-Ugbo and manager of a new generation bank.

Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State

The bank manager who allegedly hired armed thugs to attack anyone who dared challenge his ownership of the land, was, recently accosted by three of the affected families from Igbodo, but the banker allegedly ordered his thugs who were brandishing Pump Action guns to shoot sporadically into the air to scare them away.

The people numbering over 10 escaped being shot as they ran to the Divisional Police Station, Igbodo to incident the matter.

One of the families had a month ago, reported the criminal activities on their farmland to the Police at the Area Command in Asaba, but the bank manager was alleged to have refused to honour all invitations extended to him by the police.

It was alleged that a relation to the bank manager, a police officer has continued to shield him with the excuse that the banker was out of the country and he alone has documents to the farmland.

The family accused the police of not taking the needed steps to get the banker said to be acquiring land for farming, alleging that his relations had boasted that the banker would use his contact to deal with anyone that crossed his way.

One of his brothers, identity withheld, who claimed to be fronting for him in the alleged forceful acquisition of the farmlands boasted that a serving Minister (names withheld) who hails from Onicha-Ugbo was behind them, saying that they would use their position in government, including the Police and team of lawyers to suppress any opposing voice in the matter.

The said relation who claimed that the documents for the farmlands running into hectares were with the banker for the past six weeks, have not been able to produce any of the documents to aid police investigation.

The late Diokpa Nwaeke Nwanyaha’s family of Igbodo in the petition to the Police Area Command in Asaba, drew attention of the police to the malicious damage of their economic crops, which benefits had over the years assisted the family in meeting certain obligations such as caring for the aged in the family, including a 95 year old matriarch of the family and been farming on it for decades with no boundary issues with neighbours who all hail from Igbodo.

Narrating their ordeals in the hands of the banker and his armed touts, one of the members of the families who had recently gone to inspect the damages done to their farmlands, Mr Tony Egbunike alleged that the power drunk banker ordered his boys to shoot but they immediately raised alarm, shouting the name of banker as they fled for safety and knowing fully well that his identity was well known, the armed boys were scared, “giving us the opportunity to run for our dear lives.”