An 80-year-old childless man, Francis Ugwu, a native of Amaenuegu Okposi in Ohaozara local government council of Ebonyi state, has rejected a court judgment against him on three parcels of land he was laying claim to, vowing to do everything necessary to retrieve the disputed land, even if it causes his death.
Explaining to our correspondent in Abakaliki in an interview, shortly after the judgment, Ugwu said that he purchased the disputed land in 1960, before he travelled to the northern and southern parts of the country seeking greener pastures, but on his return he noticed that one Mr. Joshua and family, with whom he had shared a common boundary, had colonised greater parts of his three different parcels of land, and even erected some structures on them.
According to Ugwu, his return to Amaenegu Okposi was characterised by heartbreak, caused by the mysterious deaths of his wife and four children.
He disclosed that a chief in the community and head of the town’s union, John Eke Nwachukwu, who he said had investigated the matter and ruled in his favour, told the alleged encroacher to vacate the land, to no avail.
Mediating in the matter, the Chairman, Family Law Centre, Abakaliki, Mrs. Elizabeth Nwali, advised the defendant to either vacate the land or compensate Ugwu for peace to reign but he refused, insisting that he would neither compensate Ugwu nor leave the disputed land because it belonged to him in entirety.
After investigations, with neither party shifting ground on his claim, the court ruled in favour of the defendant, saying that, though it sympathised with Ugwu’s condition, which it described as pathetic, he had adduced no concrete evidence to prove his case beyond reasonable doubt.
Consequently, Ugwu flared up, creating a scene in the court premises. Lamenting his plight, he insisted he would retrieve the parcels of land from the defendant, even if it meant dying in the process.
