The Traditional Ruler of Isiagu Community in Awka South local government area of Anambra State, His Royal Highness, Igwe Austin Chukwuma, his cabinet members and other members of the community have been accused of defrauding a retired professor up to the tune of N13.9 million Naira in an alleged coordinated land scam.
The Monarch however refused to make comment on the allegation despite several calls and messages sent to him for response. But one of his subjects and Chairman, Land committee, Chief Sunday Ozumba said that it was not an entire Community issue but a personal deal which he said is being sorted out, internally.
“This is not an Isiagu affairs, it’s an individual, family affair versus Professor Nwabueze. The matter is being handled internally, no cause for alarm. It’s not members of the community, I’ve told you that the matter is being handled internally, just take it like that,” Ozumba said.
Narrating his ordeal, the victim and a retired Professor of Theater and Film Studies, Prof. Emeka Nwabueze lamented that he has lost all his life entitlement to a ring of land scammers in Anambra State.
He therefore pleaded with Governor Chukwuma Soludo, the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and every high authority to intervene on the matter and save him from an agony of old age.
According to Nwabueze, “Since 2020, I used my gratuity to purchase seven plots of land from Nwangelekwe Nwosu family in Ishiagu, Awka South LGA. Since then each time I go to work on the property, a crowd will come claiming ownership.
“I went to the Igwe and the town’s land committee and they gave me a clean bill and a certificate of authentication, still the destruction persisted. I went back and they insisted I should go and work, that I should deal with anybody who disturbs me.
“The last was on January 5th when despite my sickness I went to work there. The greatest trouble came up. They destroyed my working implements, seized some of them including the water tank and assaulted the workers.
“It was then that someone came to me and told me that I will be eliminated if I continue, that it is an organized crime in the town where they sell people’s land and set you up to fight the owner while they continue to smile to the bank, that the Igwe is the leader and that Christian Chukwuma Nwosu who sold the land is their henchman, that the land committee is a hoax.
“I then reported to Zone 13 of Nigeria Police at Ukpo and they made arrests. To cut a long story short, I obtained a court order to detain the seller and the agent who connected me to the land. They have been on detention issuing threats to me and my family.
“Now I heard that the Igwe of the town is going there to facilitate their bail. If they are left to go, that will be an end to the matter as one of them, Okoye, has continued to refuse to answer the police.
“I even talked to the Igwe yesterday and I’m in touch with the police up to the AIG. The police have been quite good but the plan to release is high. You never can tell. The agent who even added extra N3.5 million to the cost, criminally, Mrs. Teresa Beauty Dagga-Nweze is also being detained. The Igwe collects N560,000 from any purchaser and calls is Development Levy. I have my receipt.”
When contacted, the Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG, in charge of zone 13, Ukpo, Anambra State, Mr Godwin Aghaulor confirmed that the two suspects were under his custody, but that some human rights acivists may become interested in the matter if the suspects are detained longer than necessary.
