Fresh bloodshed erupts in Enugu as Etiti Ngwo loses another life in unresolved land conflict.
Despite Supreme Court rulings, locals say rival community keeps attacking and demolishing properties.
Tension is rising once again in Enugu State following renewed violence over a long-standing land dispute between Etiti Ngwo in Udi Local Government Area and Umu-Ugwu Akum Akwuke in Enugu South LGA. The latest clash has claimed another life, despite existing court rulings in favour of Etiti Ngwo.
Members of the Etiti Ngwo community accused their neighbors of ignoring legal judgments including those of the Appeal Court and Supreme Court that upheld their ownership of the disputed land. They alleged that residents of Umu-Ugwu Akum Akwuke returned to the land and began destroying properties, prompting protests.
“They started demolishing our properties despite the judgment”
During a peaceful demonstration at the Etiti Ngwo community square on Monday, the community chairman, Eze Daniel Onyejuwaka, recounted how the situation escalated shortly after a July 10 meeting with the Enugu State Boundary Committee led by the Deputy Governor.
According to Onyejuwaka, “The Appeal Court gave us judgment, and the Supreme Court also upheld it. They later protested through their legal counsel to the Boundary Committee that we were trespassing. The state government intervened, and that same day, we were given judgment. Surprisingly, from that particular day, they went to the scene and started demolishing all the properties we had there.”
“They laid ambush and killed Sochima in cold blood”
He further alleged that attackers from the opposing community set up an ambush as some residents returned from the disputed site.
“As the last batch of our people were coming back, the people of Umu-Ugwu Akum Akwuke and their team laid ambush and started shooting. Eventually, they shot one of our brothers, Sochima Onoh, who died in cold blood.”
Onyejuwaka also accused Mr. Chiwetalu Nwatu, head of the Enugu State Geographic Information System (ENGIS), of worsening the crisis by reallocating lands in favor of the rival community, despite the court rulings.
“Despite all the activities of the Deputy Governor to resolve this issue, he went ahead and started reallocating the land or admitting people of Umu‑Ugwu Akum Akwuke, who had already been defeated in court.”
“We have lost three lives on this land”
The community leader appealed for intervention, saying, “This is the third person we are losing in this same land. We have lost the likes of Oliver Onoh, today again it’s Sochima, and particularly, my own father died in the same process. It is so pathetic.”
He noted that the legal victory at the Supreme Court dates as far back as 2015, and that every attempt by the opposing side to obtain a stay of execution was struck out, with the most recent dismissed in 2021.
“When they had judgment of the High Court, we left the land. But now that we have the Supreme Court judgment, they’ve returned to attack us. I don’t understand why this is happening.”
Still, Onyejuwaka stressed that Etiti Ngwo would not take the law into their own hands. “If you look around me, it’s not as if I don’t have people. But we are law‑abiding. That is why we are appealing to the Governor of Enugu State to make sure he ends this matter before it turns again into a communal crisis.”
Eyewitness: “They shot him in the bush”
An eyewitness, Obinna Onyia, tearfully described the killing of Sochima: “We were on our way back and saw some people all wearing black. They started pursuing us, and we were running without direction… He fell again and went into the bush to hide. They came and met him inside the bush and shot him. I saw them, but I couldn’t do anything.”
Mr. Chiwetalu Nwatu, head of ENGIS, denied the allegations. He said the land in question is designated as Crown Land, which makes it government-owned.
“Rather than taking over the land and demolishing every property there, the administration of Governor Peter Mbah in its magnanimity is asking everyone with a property there to come forward for registration,” Nwatu explained.
Meanwhile, the Enugu State Police Command confirmed the fatal shooting. According to spokesperson SP Daniel Ndukwe, “On July 12, 2025, at about 3:35 pm, the Police received a distress report… that youths from Umu‑Ugwu Akum Akwuke stormed their area at Ovolo Layout and shot one Onoh Sochima.”
Ndukwe said police officers responded swiftly and found Sochima’s body with gunshot wounds. He was confirmed dead at the hospital, and the body has been deposited at the mortuary for autopsy.
He added that the incident appears to be connected to the land conflict and urged both communities to avoid violence as investigations continue.
As residents grieve yet another life lost to the crisis, many are calling on the Enugu State Government and Nigeria’s judiciary to enforce court decisions and bring an end to the conflict once and for all.
