Enugu Family Seeks Probe Into Disputed Land Used by Federal Polytechnic Ohodo
The Umu Ogbonogu family in Enugu State has accused Federal Polytechnic Ohodo and others involved in its land arrangements of taking over about 40 acres of ancestral property without proper consultation or compensation. The family is seeking an investigation and a formal process to resolve the dispute.
A family in Owerre Ohodo, Enugu State, is demanding an investigation into how about 40 acres of land connected to Federal Polytechnic Ohodo were acquired, alleging that the property belongs to its ancestors and was taken without proper engagement or compensation.
Chief Ikechukwu Asogwa, head of the Umu Ogbonogu family and President General of Owerre Autonomous Community, raised the allegations in Enugu on Tuesday. He said the family discovered that the disputed property had been fenced off without what it considered a valid consultation process.
The family also alleges that the development affected an ancestral shrine and burial site on the land. Asogwa said land ownership in Ohodo is based on families rather than a single pool of community land and questioned the authority of those who signed documents relating to the property.
He further alleged that some people who were not members of the affected family endorsed documents connected to the transaction. The family is asking for clarification about the memorandum of understanding and other records used in the acquisition process.
Separate allegations raised by Asogwa concerned employment opportunities linked to the institution and the handling of arrangements involving Community Secondary School, Ohodo. He claimed that people whose land was affected did not receive expected employment opportunities and also questioned how funds relating to the secondary school were handled.
The family said it is not opposed to the polytechnic or to development in the area. Instead, it wants any use of its land to follow a formal process that recognises the rights of the affected owners and allows negotiations to take place.
Another family member said they want the fence around the disputed area removed so that ancestral remains can be reburied and the shrine relocated. The family has also petitioned the Office of the National Security Adviser and says it wants the disagreement settled through legal and administrative channels.
Federal Polytechnic Ohodo Rector Dr Ediri Emmanuel Agada did not comment on the allegations when contacted by PUNCH.
Other community figures presented a different account of the land process. Traditional ruler Igwe David Asogwa acknowledged that the affected properties were held by individual families but said the acquisition was carried out under government authority and referred those seeking compensation for crops or economic trees to the state government or the courts.
Former community President General Alphonsus Ugwuafia also said he signed documents after being called by the government in his capacity as a community leader. He did not address allegations concerning forgery or lack of compensation.