The land dispute in Akpugo, Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu State has entered a fresh stage as the Umuedenwoko family and Cooperative Worldwide have petitioned Governor Peter Mbah over what they describe as a long-running attempt to stop the enforcement of a valid court judgment. The clash involves a 299-hectare farmland known as Ngene-Ogbugbo and has deepened tension in the area.
The matter began when the Umuedenwoko family, who said they lawfully secured the land in 1978 under a customary right of occupancy, went to court more than 13 years ago. They stated that they developed the land with palm plantations, economic trees, and other agricultural projects. In June 2023, Justice A.O. Anidi of the Enugu State High Court ruled in their favour. According to the family, none of the key parties, including the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, filed an appeal.
Two years after the judgment, the family now alleges that the traditional ruler of Ugwuafor community, HRH John Idenyi Nwodo, and some government actors have continued to block the execution of the court order. Their lawyer, Gabriel Oforma Agbo, told reporters that instead of facilitating the enforcement of the judgment, new court cases and administrative obstacles have been used to delay possession of the land.
The family also accused the traditional ruler of claiming ownership of several village lands after the former governor of the state created the Ugwuafor autonomous community. They said this move gave the ruler room to assert control over land that had already been acquired and developed. Their lawyer added that the ruler allegedly allocated about 35 hectares of the disputed land to the Nigerian Police Force for a proposed Police College without proper compensation, even though local landowners had been paying ground rent since 1978.
The community further claimed that machines were used to destroy their economic trees and that compensatory payments meant for them were taken without accountability. They alleged that attempts to stall enforcement have continued through new applications, forged documents, and political influence. In one instance, the lawyer said the traditional ruler filed documents using the name of one of his clients, Chief David Okenwa, without permission. Okenwa reportedly confirmed in court that he never hired the lawyer who claimed to be acting for him.
On 8 May 2025, His Worship Ngozika Orji dismissed another attempt by the traditional ruler to delay the judgment, stating that the 2023 ruling remained valid and enforceable.
In a separate development, the community submitted an open letter to Governor Peter Mbah through their counsel. The letter accused the traditional ruler of instigating communal crises, feeding government agencies false information, and pushing political institutions to reopen matters already decided by the court. They said he even approached the Enugu State House of Assembly to set up a panel to revisit the judgment, which they described as an overreach.
The community called on the governor to set up a judicial panel to examine what they described as multiple judgments and the involvement of officials who may be working against court orders. They attached the 2023 judgment and the 2025 ruling and urged the governor to examine the situation closely.
The case has been adjourned to 27 November 2025 as parties wait for further directions from the court.