Tempers are rising and would soon get to an unpleasant climax, if sons and daughters of Umuoji, Enugu-Ukwu in Njikoka local government area of Anambra State, particularly, kindreds of Umuyima, do not intervene in a land issue currently rearing its heads.
According to Chiemelie Innocent who said he has been threatened by his aunt, wife of his father’s brother, the main issue was the sharing of a piece of land which he inherited from his late father, Innocent Molokwu.
Their tradition demands that the last son inherits his father’s property. Chiemelie who said all the materials for developing the land he inherited are ready and may rot away if his aunt, Mrs. Elizabeth Agbonma Molokwu, who is posing a stumbling block, is not stopped by his kindreds.
Besides, he said he has been threatened by Elizabeth that he would never prosper and that if he dared step into the land in dispute, he would see what would happen to him within a year.
Chiemelie said the aunt demanded that the land which belonged to him by tradition, being the last son of his father, be shared into three parts, one part given to Chiemelie’s father another given to John Molokwu and the last given to Amachukwu Molokwu, all sons of Late Mgbafor Igbudu, Chiemelie’s paternal grand mother.
“I heard this over two months ago through side-talk that Mrs. Elizabeth Molokwu planned to drag the land with us immediately work commences to disorganize the work plan not to reach the height of success. All efforts of our elders and brothers around to try to make her understand proved abortive. On the process of’ discussion that day, Mrs. Elizabeth began to make some dangerous utterances against me,” he said.
He said he consulted the elders and his relations before commencing work on the land and had complained to several people about Mrs. Elizabeth’s actions, but she has refused to budge.
Part of a letter written to the Peace Committee of Umuyima kindred reads as follows:
“I write with deep pain in my heart to notify you all about Mrs. Elizabeth Agbonma Molokwu’s action over our possession land. Before I start this project I established an understanding with our elders and brothers around even with the consent of those not around.
“Finally the project started on Friday 27th April, on Monday 30th April, Mrs. Elizabeth Molokwu with one of her daughters, Esther, came to the site about 9.am in the morning, wanted to stop my workers, before Mr. Okechukwu Bulani intervened into the matter and called us for peace talk at his compound in the presence of Mr. Richard Bulani (the eldest uncle)1 Mr. Mike Onuzulike (second elder uncle), Mr. Sunday Onuzulike, myself Chiemelie Innocent, Mrs. Elizabeth Agbonma Molokwu, Mrs. Esther Agbonma, 4th daughter, Mrs. Virginia Molokwu (my mother).
“There she made her point known to us that the said land where we are putting our structure which was given to Mgbafor Igbudu (the mother) by her son’s, John Molokwu, Amachukwu Molokwu, Innocent Molokwu during the land sharing as (anaede) as tradition demanded which finally belonged to the last son, Innocent should be shared into three.”
Chiemelie in the letter, stated that he was threatened by Mrs. Elizabeth in the following manner “That I should not threaten them with my downfall previous years that I wasn’t the first that rose and fell because I referred them of what happened 8 years ago.
That nothing I shall lay hand upon shall prosper.
“That if I dare enter into that said land again, that she gives me one year. On this note, I made it known before people around. Elder Mike over heard her when she said that and called her attention over the statement and challenged her too. With these utterances seems to end the meeting. Next day, Tuesday being 1st of May 2012, Mrs. EIizabeth Agbonma Molokwu came back at the site with three of her daughters; Uju, Joe, and Esther and stopped my workers’ work in my absence though I later met them after I came back from where I went and we started talking again on the same issue. In the process, Mrs. Elizabeth Agbonma Molokwu started making utterances against me on the 2nd day.
“That she dealt with my father when he was alive till he died; now my turn, but my case is a minor case for her to handle.
“That she will deal with me the way she dealt with my father. All these utterances made me believe that she may know what happened to my dad and my predicament over the years. It is only the tree that hears about its death and stands. But human being runs for his dear life. I please call for immediate intervention in this matter urgently before it gets too late. It is risky to sit down and watch my generation wasted just like that. Please I call upon you when nothing has happened. Two weeks is not too soon to deliberate into this matter so nobody will blame me or say that I take laws into my hand as for me. I Won’t take it minor.”
Kenneth Amabipi
