By Charles Maduka
The people of Umuchima community in the Uburu clan of Ohaozara Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, have accused the Minister of Works and former governor of the state, Senator David Umahi, of forcefully taking over their ancestral farmlands and economic trees.
The allegations were made under the platform of the United Umuchima Community General Assembly, which claimed that the minister hid under the guise of state and federal government projects to evict natives from their lands. The community also alleged that his actions led to intimidation, harassment and the destruction of ancestral homes, customs and traditions.
In a document signed by the National President of the group, Sunday Chukwu, and the National Secretary, Ezenwa James, the community said hopes were initially high when Umahi assumed office as governor in 2015 because he hails from Uburu. However, they claimed that the situation later turned sour as Umuchima community, said to be the most populous among the 14 communities in Uburu, began to suffer neglect and alleged oppression.
The document further alleged that several deaths occurred as a result of the demolitions and land seizures. It cited the case of Mrs Elizabeth Offora, popularly known as Nwunye Offora, who reportedly collapsed after seeing an excavator exhume the remains of her husband during demolition activities and later died after falling into a coma. Another widow, Regina Mgbeke, also known as Mama Otonwamgbeke, was said to have become partially paralysed after losing her home and livelihood and later died. The community also alleged that an 81-year-old man, Mazi Amadi Onu, died after his ancestral homes and economic trees were demolished and the tombs of his forebears excavated, an act they described as a grave insult to their heritage.
The community called on civil society organisations and relevant stakeholders to intervene in what they described as continuous land grabbing and undue interference in their internal affairs.
Efforts to reach Senator Umahi for comments were unsuccessful. However, his Special Adviser on Media, Uchenna Orji, dismissed the allegations as baseless and frivolous. He described the claims as false, irresponsible and lacking cultural or legal foundation, insisting that the minister has contributed significantly to the development and peace of Uburu and Ebonyi State at large. Orji added that the allegations were the handiwork of what he termed local troublemakers and urged the public to disregard them.
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