Our Correspondent 

Concerned citizens of Awka, Anambra State,have petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Olatunji  Disu,

raising alarm over what they described as alleged arbitrary arrests and police interference in a decades-long land dispute involving Chief Kenneth Afamefuna Ezekwesili of Umuike village, Awka.

In the petition, signed by Sunday Ezebunamadu on behalf of the group and addressed to the IGP in Abuja, the residents urged the police leadership to urgently investigate what they termed “abuse of police powers” in relation to the dispute over Obuagu land, also known as “Egbeana-Obibia Land.”

“We, the concerned citizens of Awka in Anambra State, respectfully bring to your attention a matter of grave concern involving alleged abuse of police powers and arbitrary interference in a long-standing land dispute,” the petition stated.

The disputed land, according to the petition, has been a subject of contention between Obuagu Awka and Umuomamu Ifite Nibo communities since 1974.

The group maintained that the matter has already been decided at the High Court in Awka and the Court of Appeal in Enugu, with judgments said to favour Obuagu Awka, while the case is currently pending before the Supreme Court.

Despite these judicial outcomes, the petition alleged continued police involvement in the matter, particularly by an officer identified as Monday Umunna of the Anambra State Criminal Investigation Department, allegedly acting under the instruction of a Deputy Commissioner of Police.

Chief Ezekwesili was quoted in the petition as claiming that he was arrested in February 2026 while accessing the land under what he described as court-authorised entry.

“I was taken to the Deputy Commissioner of Police and warned never to set foot on the land again,” he was quoted as saying, adding ,“I was also compelled to pay ₦300,000 for bail before I was released.”

He further alleged subsequent arrests and an ongoing prosecution before a Magistrate Court in Awka in Suit No. MAW/43C/2026, which he said remains pending.

The petitioners expressed concern over what they described as repeated use of the phrase “conduct likely to cause communal war” as justification for arrests in a matter already before competent courts.

“Police officers are taking sides in a civil land dispute already decided at appellate level,” the petition alleged, adding that law enforcement actions were being used to frustrate enforcement of valid court judgments.

They further raised concerns over alleged sale of portions of the disputed land while litigation is still ongoing, as well as claims of possible “pecuniary interest influencing police conduct.”

“If these allegations are true, they represent a serious deviation from the constitutional role of the police, which is to maintain peace and not to adjudicate land ownership disputes,” the petition stated.

The group therefore called on the Inspector-General of Police to investigate the conduct of the officers involved, ensure neutrality in all land disputes before the courts, and halt any further arrests linked to the matter.

They also urged the police leadership to “reaffirm clear directives prohibiting interference in civil land disputes except where there is a genuine breach of peace.”

“The people of Awka believe strongly in the rule of law. Allowing court decisions to stand without unlawful interference is essential to maintaining public trust in law enforcement and the justice system,” the petition concluded.

As of press time, there was no official response from the Anambra State Police Command regarding the allegations.