**Lawyer: It’s slap on judiciary.
By Udokwu Nwali
The people of Egwe- Oruru Community in Oguta LGA, Imo State have criticized the recent visit of the Honourable Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Urban Planning, Barr. Enyinna Onuegbu to the disputed proposed Egwe Oruru /Oguta station layout, a land they said that has been a subject of litigation since 2018.
Expressing their displeasure against the honourable Commissioner, the Community, through their lawyers, L U.N. Nwakaeti & Associates, maintained that the visit by the Honourable Commissioner under the invitation of the Chairman of the Local Government Council, Ifeanyi Nnani in disregard to the court proceeding is a slap on the Judiciary.
According to their lawyer, a petition regarding the land in question was addressed to the office of the Land Commissioner informing him that the land is a subject of litigation in a High Court sitting at Oguta with suit number HOG/34/2018.
The Law Firm of in the petition, urged the Commissioner to use his office to call the Local Government Chairman to order and wondered why the same Commissioner after acknowledging the petition still went ahead to visit the land on the invitation of the Local Council boss,where he allegedly and was singing praises of the LGA chairman of doing a good job , saying he seem to have taken side.
The lawyer, regretted that the commissioner has played into the hand of the LGA Chairman Hon. Nnani ,Mr Modestus Nwamkpa and his cohorts who he alleged are hellbent on grabbing the Egwe Community land by all means.
” Being a very senior and respected lawyer, we expected more from you other than wilfully treat the proceedings of court with levity and contempt.
We therefore do not need to look far as to the reason”he said.
The Law firm argued that the defence being brandished by the local council boss that the land is a Government acquired layout since 1982 does not hold any water as there was no action plan backing it.
Lending his voice, the Land Committee Chairman of the Community, Mr.Vitus Onwudiwe said that there’s no documents from the side of Government to back up its claim of ownership of the land.
” There is no Government survey plan or documentation of the said land.
If there is, who and who from the Egwe Community appended their signatures and handed over the land to Government?” he asked.
Mr Onwudiwe in unison with Egwe Progressive Union, EPU, questioned the action of the LGA Chairman for being in a haste to forcefully enter into the said land without waiting for court to take its full course.
He noted that the visit of the Commissioner is an attempt by the LGA Chairman to deceive members of the public and wrongly give the impression that Government is in control of the land.
Mr Onwudiwe and the EPU body, therefore used the moment to caution any intended buyer(s) not to engage on any land deal with the LGA Chairman and his group.
The people maintained that doing so is to the detriment of the buyer as the land in question is still a subject of litigation at a court of competent jurisdiction.
In the light of the development, the Egwe people have vowed to use anything within the ambit of the law to resist attempt by the Council Chairman and his officials to forceful takeover their ancestral land.
