The protesters marched around the State Criminal Investigation Department; the State Police Headquarters, the headquarters of the Department of State Service, and the State Government House in Awka on Saturday, wielding placards with different inscriptions.
They came from the four villages that made up the community, including Igbollo, Obunagu Achalla, Iruobieli, and Ifite.
This protest came a few days after another group, who claimed to come from Ezinano Community in Awka, protested over what they described as “mindless killings of their relatives.”
The spokesperson for the protesters from the Mbanano community, Chief Peter Onuekwusi, who spoke to journalists during their protest, said the land dispute between the Mbanano Community in Enugwu-Agidi and the Ezinano Community in Awka dated back from 1920.
He said, “The current Commissioner of Police, in order to avert breakdown of law, order, and peace in the area, had invited Mbanano Community in Enugwu-Agidi and Ezinano Community in Awka to mediate in the matter. Ezinano Community, Awka did not honour the invitation, while Mbanano Community, Enugwu-Agidi did, with the Igwe of Enugwu-Agidi as the leader of the delegation.
“Few days ago, we heard some women protested naked in Awka, those women are not from Awka, they were hired from another community by the land grabber to distract the police.
“One of the aims of this protest is to tell the Inspector-General of Police not to succumb to the people who are mounting pressure on him to redeploy the two police officers wrongly accused of aiding and abetting crimes in the community. This is because these officers turned down the overtures of the land grabber, and he is seeking to influence their replacements through some retired senior police officers on his payroll.
“The activities of the land grabber, if unchecked, would definitely lead to a breakdown of law and order in Anambra State capital territory, which includes Awka and Enugwu-Agidi.
“We plead that urgent action be taken to stop his activities and his cohorts, as it is gradually expanding to kidnapping incidents. We can no longer farm on our lands; our women are been intimidated and raped.
“Recent kidnapping incidents around Enugwu-Agidi showed that the victims were either stationed or taking through parts of Mbanano Community lands under the illegal control of the land grabber.
“We humbly request urgent intervention to restrict and ban the land grabber and his thugs/militia from our Mbanano Community lands, Enugwu-Agidi. We also request a comprehensive investigation, subsequent proscription, and revocation of the licence granted him to operate a security outfit in the area.”
The protesters, led by their spokesman, also presented a 10-page document to the police. They said it contained the history and records of their ancestral lands.
While addressing the protesters on behalf of the State Commissioner of Police, the Assistant Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, ACP Anietie Eyoh, thanked them for their peaceful conduct and also assured them that the police would look into their matter.
