Land Grabbing: Tension Escalates In Ngor Okpala As Vigilante Members Attack Lawyer

Eze Ekechi Fingered

Tension has escalated in the Mboke Umuoye Imerienwe Community in the Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State due to an attack on a family resisting the unlawful logging of timber and the forceful acquisition of its ancestral land.

According to reports, members of the community’s vigilance group, allegedly acting under the direction of the Traditional Ruler, His Royal Highness Eze Augustine Ekechi, Ijenwe II of Imerienwe assaulted a member of the Umuokere and Amadi family, Pastor Anselem Iyke Nwawuike, on Saturday, June 13 resulting in injuries to his face.

Sources indicate that a member of the vigilance group struck Pastor Nwawuike, who is also a lawyer, with the muzzle of a gun and threatened to shoot him if he did not comply.

National Newsbreak reports that the attack caused Barrister Nwawuike to bleed profusely from the left side of his face.

Furthermore, it is reported that trespassers recently invaded the 700 plots of land known as Okahia Alaukwu land belonging to the Umuokere and Amadi family.

The family through Barr Nwawuike had filed a complaint regarding the encroachment on the land, prompting law enforcement agents to instruct the family and invaders to refrain from any activity on the land until an amicable resolution could be reached.

Pastor Nwawuike conveyed that the family was incensed by the intruders’ violation of the settlement terms, as they persisted with the logging and sawing of timber on the property.

The attorney revealed that a customary judgment had been rendered by the monarch in 2021, along with a document from the Forestry Division of the state Ministry of Agriculture, certifying the land as the family’s property.

Barr Nwawuike stated; “I was brutally assaulted today, 13th June, 2026, by a group of hooligans and thugs who alleged that they were dispatched by Eze Augustine Ekechi, Ijenwe II of Imerienwe.

“They inflicted serious injuries upon me with the nozzle of a gun. I remain in considerable pain and suffered significant bleeding.”

Observers have noted that the attack carried out by members of the community’s vigilance group may suggest potential misuse of vigilance groups by traditional rulers.

Recall that state governor Senator Hope Uzodimma recently inaugurated vigilance groups for communities across the state..

National Newsbreak learnt that the incident may incite unrest within the community.

A youth leader, speaking on the condition of anonymity, has urged the youth and women to organize a protest rally in response to the perceived “illegal action” of the traditional ruler.