Traditional ruler of Amagu community, Ishiagu in Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, Chief Godffery Makwo, yesterday told settlers in Ovumte land settlement not to push the community to curse them.
According to him, the community will pronounce curse on them, if they continue to oppose the parcellation of the settlement.
The people of Amagu and some people in the community known as settlers have been having issues over parcellation of Ovumte land. Some people were reportedly injured while the machine used in dividing the land was destroyed, which caused tension in the area.
Makwe, who spoke with journalists, frowned at the attitude of the settlers and threatened that elders of the community would be forced to pronounce a curse on anyone opposing the community on the parcellation of Ovumte land.
He said: “I am 73 years and this is my 27th year as the Chief of this community which the entire Amagu community gave to me. My father is late and he told me that Ovumte land settlement belongs to Amagu and to the best of my knowledge, right from time our ancestors agreed that if you want to live here, don’t plant anything and even if you do and your brother wants to erect house, remove it. The settlers know this.
The true story is that Ovumte belongs to Amagu. “There is a playground in our community known as Ogbuji where decisions are taken and whatever decision we take will be agreed upon.
We only pity these sets of people because there is a custom that we will do and all those people that are fighting this community will have themselves to blame. If we hit our walking stick on the ground for them, they will suffer. They should not push us to do this.
“Recently, something happened in Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area and the people of Okposi went to their traditional place and this and something happened. So, we pray that we will not be dragged to do this.”
On its part, Amagu Development Union (ADU), absolved former President of the Senate and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, of land grabbing in the Ovumte land settlement.
The leaders said the current decision to parcellate 158 hectares of the Ovumte land settlement was the collective decision of the Amagu community after their general meeting to enable every family to have a portion of the land and not for Anyim to claim as widely speculated.
The ADU Chairman, Chief Ukah Livinus Okorie, described the land settlement as a communal land and that there was oral agreement by forefathers of the community to allow some people who settled on the land to be living there and give way anytime the community wanted to use the land for development purposes.
