The Umobor Akaeze community in Ivo Local Government Area has petitioned the National Assembly, requesting urgent intervention to ensure the enforcement of a Supreme Courtj udgment that reportedly affirmed their ownership of their ancestral land.
The appeal was contained in Petition No. 693 of 2025, submitted to the House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions by Kingdom Human Rights Foundation International on behalf of the Umobor Akaeze village.
The petition is against the Nigeria Police Force and the Inspector-General of Police over what the community described as the continued killing of innocent residents and the looming breakdown of law and order in the area.
When the petition came up for hearing yesterday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, Hon. (Barr.) Kwamoti Bitrus Laori, after listening to the petitioners led by Barrister Okere Nnamdi, adjourned the matter to June 4 to allow for evidence of service on the respondents.
Speaking with journalists after the hearing, Barrister Nnamdi said the petition was aimed at compelling the Ebonyi State Government, particularly the State Boundary Committee and the Ivo Local Government Boundary Committee, to implement the Supreme Court judgment on the disputed Uke land.
According to him, no authority has the power to disregard a final decision of the Supreme Court.
“Nobody has the authority to sit over a decision already taken by the Supreme Court, which has given a final judgment that the land belongs to the people of Uke,” he said.
He explained that the community decided to approach the National Assembly because it represents the people and has oversight responsibilities.
“The National Assembly is the people’s parliament. They are the lawmakers who established the Supreme Court through legislation in line with the Constitution. They have committees on judiciary and public petitions, and they have a supervisory role,” he stated.
The lawyer further alleged that members of the Umobor community have continued to face violent attacks from neighboring groups, claiming the attackers are allegedly backed by influential political figures.
He disclosed that during the resumed hearing, the House Committee directed that summons be issued to the Ebonyi State Boundary Committee and the Ivo Local Government Boundary Committee.
“So far, over 41 people from Umobor have been killed, including a pregnant woman, over a land dispute that the Supreme Court has already settled,” he alleged.
The community insisted that it is seeking a peaceful resolution to the dispute, stressing that its people have always followed lawful means in pursuing justice.
According to the petitioners, the case had passed through several judicial stages, from the Customary Court to the High Court, the Court of Appeal, and finally the Supreme Court, where they claimed victory at every level.
One of the community leaders, Innocent Okore, 78, said the dispute dates back generations.
“I have been involved in this matter since the time of my forefathers. The people of Umobor are peace-loving. Our occupation is farming, and we train our children through farming. We are not looking for trouble; we just want the authorities to allow justice to prevail,” he said.
Okore noted that the Supreme Court had settled the matter about 30 years ago but alleged that recent developments, influenced by powerful individuals on the opposing side, had triggered renewed violence.
He added that the community remains deeply concerned about the killings but has chosen to pursue peace rather than violence.
“Instead of taking up arms, we have continued to follow the path of peace by going through the courts and eventually petitioning the National Assembly,” he said.
