The traditional ruler of Okahia Autonomous Community in Obingwa council area of Abia State, Eze Okey Ananaba has raised an alarm over what he described as the security threats posed by the massive land acquisition by suspected herdsmen in some communities in the area.
He stated that the destruction of farm crops and possession of illegal arms like AK- 47 rifles by the herders have aggravated tension in the rural communities as the herdsmen threaten to kill the vigilantes and farmers who challenge them.
Ananaba who raised the alarm during a sensitization visit/ town hall meeting by the officials of the Greater Aba Development Authority, GADA, in his community, expressed concern that suspected herders have already acquired over 5,000 plots of land in strategic border communities such as Mgboko Umuanunu, near the boundary with Akwa Ibom state and Akpaa Mbato community behind the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, NINLAN, Ovom, Aba
He said; “We are concerned that suspected herders have already acquired over 5,000 plots of land in strategic border communities such as Mgboko Umuanunu, near the border with Akwa Ibom state and Akpaa Mbato community behind the National Institute for Nigerian Languages, NINLAN, Ovom, Aba. There are other massive land acquisitions in other communities in Obingwa LGA and environs.
“These land acquisitions pose serious security threats and could be used as operational bases for violent attacks on local residents.
“We don’t know the reason behind the acquisition of these massive land areas in most communities in Obingwa LGA.
The monarch disclosed that traditional rulers in the area have severally petitioned the Abia State Government over ongoing land transactions, but lamented that nothing has been done to check the ugly trend.
“Traditional rulers in Obingwa LGA have petitioned the Abia State Government to halt the ongoing land transactions. But our efforts have been ignored, this continues to threaten the people and raising fears of impending violence.
“Traditional rulers are the people at the rural communities, the government should give urgent attention to any report from us because we feel the pain. We are the eye of the government in our communities.”
He called on Governor Alex Otti to investigate the trend of massive land acquisitions in Obingwa council to prevent a repeat of the bandits and herdsmen’s violent attacks on indigenes of communities as being witnessed in Benue and Plateau States, which have resulted in loss of lives and displacement of villagers.
Some of the people who spoke at the town hall meeting alleged that some traditional rulers in the areas are behind the massive acquisition of lands by herdsmen and urged the government to stop the practice of registering massive lands in the communities without investigations about land use.
“There is no way for a massive land of up to 1,000 plots, will be acquired by anybody in the rural communities without the traditional ruler being aware of. It is not possible.
“The leadership of traditional rulers must also check themselves and report the bad and suspected ones among them to the government.
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“But the problem is that it is still the state ministry of lands that will register and give approval to these massive acquisition of lands without proper checks on why an individual or group is acquiring over 1,000 plots in a rural community. Let the government do the proper thing, we need peace,not insecurity in Abia state.”
