•Prison officials grumble over conditions
•Relatives barred from visiting inmates
A communal clash may erupt in Anambra State over the ownership of the land which harbours Ekwulobia Prison where some Boko Haram inmates were transferred in June.
The traditional ruler of Ekwulobia, Emmanuel Onyeneke, and that of Ezinifeite-Aguata, Chukwuma Orji, are trading words over the real owner of the land on which the minimum security prison owned by the federal government is built.
Although the facility has always been called Ekwulobia Prison, Orji insisted that the land was released to the government by his community without compensation, a claim Onyeneke described as a lie.
Aguata Council Chairman, Chukwuma Umeoji, also told TheNiche that the prison was built on a land belonging to Ezinifite-Aguata.
But former Council Chairman, Titus Anegbogu, who hails from Ekwulobia, accused Umeoji of misrepresenting facts because he (Umeoji) is from Ezinifite-Aguata.
The dispute comes amid speculation that the federal government may improve security in Ekwulobia town and in the entire Aguata Council.
Onyeneke produces cheque photocopy
Onyeneke recalled that the land initially belonged to Ezeagulu village in Ekwulobia community and the federal government under former President Shehu Shagari paid N137,000 as compensation for it.
His words: “We have all the facts before us. You cannot hide the truth. This land in question belongs to a village or kindred known as Eziagulu in Ekwulobia autonomous community.
“They handed over the land to the federal government to build the prison and we still have a photocopy of the cheque of N137,000 paid to us as compensation for the land by the federal government.
“Eziagulu donated the land on behalf of our town, Ekwulobia, and the prison is addressed as Ekwulobia Prison.
“But I am surprised that my colleague and fellow traditional ruler from Ezinifite Aguata is now going about saying that the land belongs to them.
“The claims of Ezinifite people that they donated the land freely without compensation are funny.
“This is because we, the Ekwulobia people, were paid compensation of N137,000 by the federal government and we wonder how those who donated land freely were not paid.
“There is the need for us to find out if this land is the same land that is housing Ekwulobia Prison that Ezinifite people are talking about or if there is another land handed over to the federal government.
“But certainly it is not this land where the minimum security prison was built.”
But Orji described Onyeneke as an interloper who had made futile efforts to convert the land to Ezinifite town before Boko Haram inmates were transferred to the prison.
He recounted: “What happened was that during the regime of the Igwe that I succeeded, Ezeugo II of Ezinifite, he was so close to the then Vice President, Alex Ekwueme, so Ekwueme approached him to show him a land where an 80-bedroom medium security prison would be built.
“Ekwueme did not go to Ekwulobia because of an alleged face-off between Okoh town, where he comes from, and Ekwulobia people.
“[Ezeugo II] then consulted the villagers who willfully donated that land to the federal government without collecting any payment as compensation from anybody. That was around 1982 and 1983.
“I still remember that in 1960 I attended a march past at Aguata field, now made up of Aguata, Orumba North and Orumba South Council Areas, and when we got to a structure called Ekpe, which was like a long wall, we immediately knew that we had entered Ekwulobia.
“But that boundary mark has been destroyed.
“I also recall that the contractor that built the prison is from Ekwulobia town and he used his position to bring in many Ekwulobia people and gave them some parts of the land to build houses.
“That explains why Ekwulobia people are claiming that the land belongs to them. Unfortunately that contractor is dead today.”
Orji produces documents
Orji showed TheNiche documents he said prove that Ezinifeite owns the land.
One document, dated September 28, 1983, was written on a letterhead of the “Government of Anambra State of Nigeria” with reference number of AGD/3342/6, with the address of Aguata Local Government PMB 1, Ekwulobia-Aguata.
It was written to the permanent secretary ministry of land, survey and lands division, Enugu, with the title “Construction of 80-bed prison at Aguata”, signed by C.I. Anyaegbunam, Aguata Local Government Secretary.
The letter reads: “I am directed to refer to your letter No. LAW: 600/4 of April 26, 1983 and to forward, herewith, a survey map of the place of land donated by Ezinifite community for the construction of the federal prisons at Aguata for your information and necessary action.
“The land is situate about 11/4 kilometres from Aguata Local Government headquarters and is donated free-of-charge without any demand for compensation.
“See the two letters written by Umuagu family of Ezinifite dated September 3, 1983 and by Ezinifite Improvement Union dated September 6, 1983 attached to the survey plan.”
Orji also presented another letter dated September 26, 1983 signed by the then Ezinifite Improvement Union Chairman, Samuel Umeakuka; and Secretary, Simon Umeonyedum; among others.
The letter says: “We, the undersigned, for ourselves and on behalf of entire Ezinifite community in Aguata L.G.A., have the pleasure to inform you that we have unanimously and whole heartedly decided to donate to the federal government of Nigeria our parcel of land which is known and or called Agu Oka, which situates within Enuagu quarter of Aku village Ezinifite town, and which is particularly delineated and verged pink in the licensed survivor plan No. P0/E136/83 made by Pius Ndenu licensed surveyor on August 26, 1983 and hereto annexed.”
Onyeneke stands his ground
When TheNiche asked Onyeneke to buttress his community’s claim to the land, he said: “We have all the documents and all the relevant papers concerning the land.
“We even have photocopies of the cheque of N137,000 paid to us as compensation for the land by government.
“The problem is that the matter is being handled by the Aguata Council of Traditional Rulers and they asked me not to blow up or overheat the area.
“Second, had it been that my secretary is not ill (he has the keys to my office), I would have shown you those papers. But at the appointed time we shall show the world our documents for them to know.”
Prison officials, inmates complain
The original inmates of Ekwulobia Prison are becoming restive following the ban on visits by their relatives.
A prison official who pleaded anonymity disclosed that “the original inmates of the prison are no happy with the new arrangement.
“Prison authorities have banned visit to the prison by relatives. This started when the Boko Haram people were transferred there.
“As I speak to you, none of those original inmates has access to his relatives outside and no outsider is allowed to visit the inmates.”
The source confirmed that not all officials are allowed to use their telephone handset in order to avert security lapses.
He also disclosed that prison officials and inmates have unilaterally renamed the prison Columbia as a sign of helplessness in an unfriendly environment.
“They call it Columbia because prison officials who are there are praying to be transferred to a better place to work while inmates who were transferred to the prison are protesting and calling for a retransfer.
“As you can see, this is risky and it is not only the public or the inmates who are at risk but we the staff of the Nigeria Prisons Service, due to the hostile environment and the danger it poses to our lives.
“The federal government should do something about it and pay us some special allowance for the hazard we are facing. If not, one day there will be no security guards at the prison.
“Even the soldiers posted there are complaining.”