Land Grabbing: Rivers Community Seeks Govt, Police’s Intervention

Blessing Ibunge in Port Harcourt

Rumuosi Community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State has called on the state government and the state Commissioner of Police, Olatunji Disu, to intervene in the issue of land grabbing in their area before it leads to crisis.

The people decried the activities of land grabbers in the area, saying that the peace of their community is being threatened.

The community, which stated that the activities of land grabbers were threatening the existing peace in their community, declared that they don’t want to go to war with those involved.

Paramount Ruler of Rumuosi, His Royal Highness, Eze Titus Akani, therefore, called on the state government and the police authorities for immediate intervention to sustain the existing peace in the community.

The monarch, who made the appeal at his palace yesterday while receiving some aggrieved land owners who were affected by activities of land grabbers on their landed property on the Obiri-Ikwerre airport road, cried out that the peace of his community is being threatened.

Akani, while addressing the land owners, expressed surprise that some individuals could wake up one day and start laying claims to Rumuosi land knowing that those property does not belong to them.

However, the Chairman of Rumuechiwara and Rumumba communities in Rumuosi, Ernest Ihunda, called on the state government and the police to urgently intervene on issue of land grabbing in Rumuosi community.

Ihunda demanded a swift government intervention, emphasising that the disputed land in Ehie Egbule Nsumide and Ohia Egbule belongs to Rumuosi community, refuting claims from some persons from Rumuahoglu community.

He said: “This land is under Rumuosi community, Rumuahoglu does not have any boundary or land on this side; we only have a boundary with Rumuahoglu at the back of the gas light acquired by the Ministry of Mines and Power in 2005.

“They have been conniving with the IG Monitoring Unit team from Aluu (defunct) to cause havoc on those that bought lands from Rumuosi town.”