Land Dispute: Anambra community leader accuses kinsmen of abduction

The Vice Chairman of Obunagu Achalla village in Enugu Agidi community, Njikoka Local Government Area of Anambra State, Ozoemena Okeke, has alleged that he was kidnapped on two occasions by members of his kindred because he refused to sell community lands.

Okeke, who is also a community leader, stated that his kinsmen had threatened to kill him. He disclosed this to journalists at his country home in Obunagu Achalla on Sunday, December 29, 2024.

According to him, he was kidnapped twice between 2023 and 2024 and credited his survival to God’s intervention, apart from the ransom paid to the suspected kidnappers.

He alleged that four of his kinsmen were collaborating with suspected kidnappers to eliminate him due to his opposition to their plans of selling parts of the community land to the highest bidders, while the community and its people lived in poverty.

He recounted, “My first experience was on October 17, 2023. It was during the initial period when the road in front of my house was being graded. They claimed I had sold the land to someone, but I did not sell any land.

“Thinking that I had sold a piece of land, these people invited kidnappers to abduct me so that I would produce the money they suspected I had received for the land.

“These kidnappers seemed poor because they took all my foodstuff, including garri, palm oil, salt, and other items. They also checked my phone and discovered I had only N22.00 in my bank account and no other accounts.

“They wondered where the money they believed I earned from the alleged land sale was. Concluding it was a mere allegation, they eventually freed me.”

According to him, the second invasion was in August 2024 after a peace meeting. He alleged that he just finished the meeting with his people when the kidnappers invaded his home around 4 p.m.

He added that they “took me into the bush to Urum in the Awka North local district, before proceeding towards a shrine in Ukwulu. I was held for three days before they released me.”

However, the Chairman of Obunagu Achalla, Emeka Ementa, denied knowledge of the incidents or any links with the suspected kidnappers.

He explained that Okeke and others had been suspended for allegedly sabotaging the corporate existence of the Obunagu Achalla village due to their alignment with the Ezinano Awka community over a controversial peace deal concerning their land.

Ementa stated, “I have never heard of this kidnapping issue. To me, it seems like a drama; it’s a forgery. I have not heard of it anywhere. But Okeke has been known for this kind of behavior.”