The Umu Ogbonogu family alleges that the disputed land was fenced without consultation or compensation and that an ancestral shrine and burial ground were affected.
A family in Owerre Ohodo, Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, has accused the Federal Polytechnic Ohodo and its officials of taking about 40 acres of its ancestral land without consultation or compensation.
The Umu Ogbonogu family also alleged that fencing the disputed property affected an ancestral shrine and burial ground located on the land.
The family made the allegations in Enugu on Tuesday through its head and President General of Owerre Autonomous Community, Chief Ikechukwu Asogwa.
Asogwa said the family woke up to find the land barricaded without prior discussions with its members.
He maintained that land ownership in Ohodo was based on family and ancestral ownership rather than communal ownership.
“In Ohodo where I come from, we don’t have any communal land. What we have are ancestral land and family land,” he said.
Family Questions Land Acquisition
Asogwa alleged that individuals who were not members of the Umu Ogbonogu family signed documents connected with the disputed property.
He said the family was not consulted before a memorandum of understanding concerning the land was allegedly signed.
“There was no meeting with the families, no consultation with the families, and no interface with the families,” he said.
The family also alleged that appointments intended for members of the host community were distributed among the same group of people involved in the land transaction.
Asogwa claimed some of the positions were allegedly sold, while members of the family that claimed ownership of the land were denied employment.
The allegations have not been independently established.
Shrine And Burial Ground Dispute
The family said the fencing of the land created a separate problem because an ancestral shrine and burial ground were located within the disputed area.
Another family member, who declined to give his name, appealed for the fence to be removed temporarily so the family could rebury its ancestors and relocate the shrine.
He said the family was willing to negotiate with the institution if the land was required for development.
“We are ready to negotiate and come to an agreement if the land is required for development,” he said.
The family wants clarification on how the property was acquired, who authorised the documents used in the transaction and whether the process followed the appropriate procedures.
It has also called for an investigation, removal of the fence and a formal process for any proposed acquisition.
Family Raises Education Concerns
The dispute extends beyond the land itself.
Asogwa also accused the polytechnic authorities of contributing to the decline of Community Secondary School, Ohodo.
He alleged that money provided for the school’s take-off and the relocation of pupils was not properly used.
According to him, the community was later asked to contribute money towards another learning facility, which he claimed was never completed.
The allegations remain disputed and were not independently verified.
Polytechnic Rector Declines Comment
The Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Ohodo, Dr Ediri Emmanuel Agada, declined to comment when contacted by telephone.
He subsequently switched off his phone.
Other community figures offered a different account of the land acquisition.
The town’s monarch, Igwe David Asogwa, acknowledged that the land belonged to private families rather than the community as a whole.
However, he defended the acquisition process, saying government officials had directed community representatives to sign the relevant documents.
“The Commissioner for Lands and Survey called us in Enugu and told us to sign, who were we to say no?” he said.
He added that anyone seeking compensation for economic trees and crops should approach the Enugu State Government or seek legal redress.
Alphonsus Ugwuafia, a former President General of Ohodo, also confirmed that he signed documents after being invited by the government in his capacity as community leader.
“When the government called me to come and sign, I signed as the community leader,” he said.
Ugwuafia declined to comment on allegations of forgery or the family’s claim that the acquisition occurred without compensation.
Family Seeks Administrative Resolution
The Umu Ogbonogu family said it was not opposed to the development of the institution.
Its demand is for the ownership claims, acquisition process and documents relating to the land to be clarified.
Asogwa said the family had petitioned the Office of the National Security Adviser over the dispute.
He also alleged that a committee subsequently constituted to address the matter failed to protect the interests of the affected family and community.
The family said it preferred to resolve the matter through legal and administrative channels.
The competing accounts leave the central questions unresolved: who legally authorised the acquisition, what documents were signed, whether the affected families were entitled to compensation and whether the disputed land was lawfully acquired for the polytechnic.
Those questions are likely to determine the next stage of the dispute.
