THE people of Umuobor, Akaeze in the Ivo local government area of Ebonyi State have alleged that nine members of the community were still missing and feared dead in a land war between the community and their neighbours Ogwor community.
The community called on the state Commissioner of Police, Adaku Uche-Anya to arrest the killers of members of the community in the land tussle between the communities.
In a petition to Governor Nwifuru through their Lawyer, Chief Mike Ahamba (SAN) to the Governor and made available to Vanguard, the community alleged that nine members of the community were still missing and feared dead.
They listed some members of the community killed in the crisis as John Chukwueke, Okaru Okoro and Sunday Eleke and urged the state Commissioner of Police to investigate their killings and prosecute those behind the dastardly act.
The petition reads in parts: “Many people have in recent days been killed with nine people missing and feared dead. Some of the people confirmed killed are; John Chukwueke, Okaru Okoro and Sunday Eleke.
“Your Excellency, why the perpetrators of these heinous acts of disobedience culminating in multiple acts of murders are not arrested by the police, is beyond my understanding.
“My very humble request is that you use your good offices to impress it on the security agencies in your state, and the Chairman of the local government of the need to get Ogwor people to appreciate that the dispute has ended by the Supreme Court decision instead of sharing of the land their point of settlement.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides in Section 287(1) this: “The decision of the Supreme Court shall be enforced in any part of the Federation by all authorities and persons and by Courts of subordinate jurisdiction to that of the Supreme Court.
“Your government is one such authority in that State. Fortunately, you are a Lawyer.
“It is also very necessary that you call on the Commissioner of Police to be very proactive in these circumstances. Failure to enforce this judgement by due process will set a very nasty precedent for the future” the petition.
It would be recalled that Umuobor and Ogwor communities have been at war for over five decades over a vast fertile land known as Elueke which has claimed many lives with properties worth billions of naira destroyed.
Various court judgments including that of the nation”s apex court which ruled that the Elueke land belongs to Umuobor village, ought to have ended the crisis but the war took a more dangerous twist last year when many killings, destructions and abductions on both parties were recorded.
Governor Francis Nwifuru who was angered by the killings, threatened that the government would take over the disputed land and declare it a buffer zone.
The governor held stakeholder meetings with the warring communities and set up a committee with a view to resolving the crisis.
