Residents of Owo community in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, hometown of Governor Peter Mbah, on Monday staged a peaceful protest against what they described as an unlawful invasion and attempted land grab by the Nigerian Army.
The protesters, including women, youths and the elderly, marched through the community carrying placards with inscriptions such as “Stop the Invasion,” “Say No to Military Land Grabbing,” “President Tinubu, Save Us From Military Intimidation,” and “Army, Leave Our Land Alone.”
They accused soldiers of destroying property, intimidating residents and vowing to forcibly take over their ancestral lands, despite a subsisting court order restraining the military from entering the disputed area.
Addressing journalists during the protest, counsel to Owo community, Barr. Igwenagu Ngene, traced the dispute back to November 2015, when residents allegedly woke up to find troops occupying parts of the town.
According to him, buildings were marked “Remove, Army land, keep off,” while billboards and beacons were mounted across the community, with the Army claiming ownership of the entire area.
Ngene said the community wrote to the General Officer Commanding, 82 Division, Nigerian Army, Enugu, in 2015, asking for the soldiers to be withdrawn, but received no positive response.
Subsequently, the matter was reported to the Enugu State Government, the State House of Assembly, and the Ministry of Lands, which invited both parties for a meeting.
“During the deliberation, the Army declined to make any comment and simply insisted that the entire community land belonged to them,” Ngene alleged.
When that failed, the community petitioned the National Assembly. After a fact-finding visit and several hearings, lawmakers reportedly asked the Army to stay off the land, as it could not produce any documents to prove ownership.
Ngene said the Army did withdraw for some time but returned in April 2025, prompting the community to approach the Enugu State High Court.
He noted that in suit No. 375/2025, the court granted an injunction restraining the Nigerian Army from entering or interfering with the land pending the final determination of the case.
At his palace, the traditional ruler of Owo, Igwe Godwin Okeke Arum, said the situation had become intolerable.
“The Army has even threatened to take over my palace, locations of our community shrines, and the ancestral home of the governor, who is father of the state. Can you imagine that?” he said.
Igwe Arum further alleged that soldiers had molested residents, demolished ongoing projects and chased investors away from the area.
President-General of Owo community, Chief John Ogbu, appealed directly to both the state and federal governments for intervention.
“This is a direct plea to President Bola Tinubu as the father of the nation to come to our aid. Owo is an ancient kingdom and predates even Nigeria, let alone the Nigerian Army,” he said.
The community insists it will continue to resist what it calls an unlawful military occupation, relying on the courts and public outcry to protect its ancestral land.
