Stay Away From Our Land, Aboh-Ogwashi Community Warns Desperate Developers

By Frank Oshanugor

As a group of “over ambitious” real estate developers reportedly lay siege on Aboh-Ogwashi Community in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State, elders of the community have called on the so called developers to honorably stay away from the land in the interest of peace.

Speaking with ATLANTICNEWSONLINE on Tuesday on behalf of the community, two elders from Aboh-Ogwashi (names with-held) warned that the developers coming in the name of about five companies should not misconstrue the community’s choice of peace as a sign of weakness over the illegal grabbing of their land.

With particular reference to the Aboh-Ogwashi land situated opposite the Military Base near the Admiralty University of Nigeria on Ogwashi-Uku-Asaba road, the elders said, they have had relative peace in the community until 31st December, 2024 when some unknown persons invaded the land with bulldozer and destroyed “our properties, pulling down houses, walls etc.

“We did a petition to the Delta State Police Commissioner who in turn took an immediate action and gave directive that the invaders should stay away, yet they came back with hired armed men who resisted the police men brought by the Area Commander at Ogwashi-Uku.

“Upon investigation we found out that some indigenes of Ibusa have hands in the land grab. They sold parts of our land to those who came with bulldozers claiming ownership of the land from Ibusa axis to Aboh-Ogwashi.”

The Aboh-Ogwashi Community is wondering why their land should be sold to a consortium of developers numbering no fewer than five. Names of the so called developers have been given to ATLANTICNEWSONLINE but we are deliberately with-holding same as we were unable to speak with the management of those companies as at press time. However, their names would come up in our follow up to this story.

The Aboh-Ogwashi elders are worried that despite an extant order by the Delta State Government directing all parties to disputed lands in Delta North Senatorial District to stay away until the Commission of Inquiry set up to look into land matters submits its report, the land grabbers have gone ahead with the developers and armed men to disobey the government.

The question on the lips of every Aboh-Ogwashi man is, whether the invaders are above the law. “The police who were brought to make peace the other time were attacked by the armed men who in the process forcefully seized some handcuffs brought by the police from the Area Command.

“We are not cowards as they think, but just law-abiding. It is not difficult to go on counter attack because we never lost a fight but because we are children of God, hence we are maintaining peace by taking things calmly and legally,” they emphasised.