Thugs invade the Ebonyi village over a land dispute, destroying 43 homes 300 people displaced.

On a common piece of land, 43 compounds were invaded by hoodlums numbering over 50, who then shot some residents and demolished their homes.

According to a report, 300 people were forced to leave the impacted hamlet and 11 people were hurt.

Dr. Nwoba Benjamin, a significant member of Ndiefi-Ishieke community, confirmed the occurrence and expressed regret over the onslaught the hired thugs unleashed on the residents.

He claimed that the event was brought on by a specific family claiming ownership of the public land.

According to sources, the assertion was what infuriated the people, who argued that the community land belonged to everyone who was a native of the impacted area and not just one particular family.

Benjamin claimed that the attack on the defenseless people was orchestrated by a few important members of the aforementioned kindred.

The villagers emphasized, he continued, that the common land was not intended for a specific family because many members of the village had over the years received an equitable piece of it.

He further claimed that Chinedu Uburu, the chairman of the council, was the leader of the thugs and that no hoodlums had been detained.

The Chairman of the Ebonyi Local Government Area, Mr. Chinedu Uburu, quickly responded, however, and denied any involvement, claiming the accusation was intended to harm his reputation.

“Nobody has officially reported to me that there was any destruction in the affected community.

“I am hearing about it for the first time. The day of the burial, the police were on ground. If any body is pointing accusing fingers at me, it’s just cheap blackmail.

“Surely, I will visit the place and alert some security agencies to swing into action,” the council boss said.

Yet according to Benjamin, on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week, the thugs appeared out of nowhere and unleashed mayhem on the locals who opposed giving a certain family possession of a piece of property.

“The thugs were hired and were shooting sporadically. About 100 buildings were destroyed.

“There’s a communal land in the village, which the community usually share to indigenes of the village, when you grow and get married.

“But a particular family claimed that it is their land. One of them died and was buried in the community land even as the community refused such development.

“At about 3a.m. of the fateful day, the thugs started destroying people’s properties. I was reliably informed that SWAT saw them and didn’t do anything.

“Thugs were going from one building to the other causing mayhem and stabbing people.

“One military man was also involved in the act. The police saw things for themselves but didn’t do anything.

“The destruction went on for three days. The land is for the community. 43 compounds were destroyed and 11 persons were injured as more than 300 hundred persons are now displaced,” Benjamin narrated.

Eze Sunday, the afflicted village chief of Ndiefi-Ishieke village in Ebonyi LGA, urged the state government to play a fatherly role by fostering unity, peace, and oneness among the residents of Ndiefi-Ishieke village instead of siding with any one clan in the troubled area.

He said, “We want the state government to know what is happening. They should not victimize a particular clan but carry everybody along.

“They should allow those displaced to come back to their compounds.

“The compound of the family that said the communal land belonged to them is from Igbogima. The hoodlums should be brought to book.

“Our incoming governor should assist us in maintaining peace in the village. He should not look at the kindred dichotomy.

“The State Government should look into the matter. We are very sad over the development. I am the complaint but they are turning me into the accused.”

Nwodom Alibasa and Romanus Njoku, the victims who spoke with Vanguard, bemoaned how their homes were destroyed and their lives were in danger as a result of the despicable incident that occurred in their village.

When contacted, Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the police public relations officer, claimed that the command was unaware of the occurrence.