Residents of Enugu Community Demand Justice Over Alleged Land Grabbing
Hundreds of residents of Ugwuto, Nsude Community in the Udi Local Government Area of Enugu State have staged a peaceful protest against Enpower Energy Limited over alleged land grabbing.
The protesters including men, women, and children marched through the community’s civic centre, chanting solidarity songs and carrying placards with messages such as “Enpower Leave Our Land Alone” and “Governor Peter Mbah Save Us From Land Grabbers.”
Community leaders said the company had been encroaching on their land since 2019, destroying crops and ignoring a pending court case over the dispute.
An elder in the community, Vincent Chukwuani, accused Enpower of entering their land without authorization and bulldozing farmlands. “The invasion began six years ago. We reported to the government, but nothing was done. They returned last month and destroyed our crops again, even with the matter still in court,” he said.
Another protester, Linus Ugwuoga, alleged that the company had used intimidation and arrests to silence residents. “We have gone as far as Abuja, and even government officials denied knowing them. Despite a court case scheduled for December, they’re still on our land,” he lamented.
A former governorship candidate and community leader, Emeka Eneh, also accused certain individuals in government of shielding the company. “We discovered that the government is not officially aware of Enpower’s operations, yet some insiders are backing them,” he said.
The protesters called on Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah to intervene and end what they described as “an act of impunity.”
When contacted, a representative of Enpower Energy, Kingsley Okereke, said the company would not engage in a public dispute with the community, stating briefly, “We are already engaging the community members.”
