By Michael AMAJAMA
President Bola Tinubu has been petitioned by members of the Njoku Chita family in Umuchima, Uburu, in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, over allegations of persistent grabbing of their ancestral lands by the Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi.
Also petitioned are the Inspector General of Police and State Security Service also known as Department of State Services, DSS.
Details of a copy of the petition by the family’s legal counsel, Silas Onu, Esq, Principal Consultant at Shield & Sword Consult, dated 6th October, 2025, stamped as officially received by the DSS and the IGP and made available to journalists in Abuja, said that the family had been cajoled into relinquishing a large expanse of land under the belief that it was their own sacrifice for the development of the community, including the present land where the David Umahi Federal University of Technology, DUFUTH, is presently situated.
The petition claims that, “Engr. David Nweze Umahi (the Minister of Works) who is from Umunaga village of Uburu, has long before he became the Governor of Ebonyi State, been grabbing lands from helpless and indigent villagers – mostly from Umuchima village.
“The trend worsened when he became the Governor, as he basically expropriated lands in the name of government, for himself in the community with a threat that all lands belong to government and government could take over any land and pay compensation to whomever refuses to allow him have his way.”
While claiming that the DUFUTH was built on forcefully confiscated lands, a large part of which belongs to the Njoku Chita family, the family said they had accepted their fate for the good of the entire community, “But he (Umahi) went on to also forcefully takeover our clients’ land located behind a place known as Ene Ofor’s compound, where he built his so called “Industrial Cluster” which is his private industry anyway.”
The family further claimed in the petition, “Furthermore, even after his tenure as Ebonyi State Governor, Engr. Umahi continues to assert the power of a state government in his bid to own the entire community, which he has since totally and personally surveyed and now appointed a committee for the expansion of the “University land”.
“Kindly find attached a leaked survey plan covering private properties that he carried out as if he is now the state, marked as Annexure 1. Our clients are at a loss as they thought that the University is now a federal institution and wondered why a private citizen will be setting up committee to expand the land of a Federal University by expropriating privately owned lands”
The family also alleged that when the committee (set up by Umahi) began its illegal expansion activities, they were once again cajoled into surrendering more of their family land for the sake of peace and “development” claiming they are actually all Engr. Umahi’s private developments.
It however said the last straw that broke the camel’s back was when Umahi maliciously designed a road project through their ancestral home over their failure to give up the said land to his ‘illicit committee’.
“As if all of our clients’ personal sacrifices were not enough, Engr. Umahi, after indicating in his private survey of other people’s properties wherein he indicated that the “Njoku Chita” lands are “Not part of” in annexure 1, still went on to maliciously design his road project straight through our clients ancestral home, where their patriarch and other family members are buried, and insists that the houses therein must be brought down for his road to pass through into his private developments,” the petitioners alleged.
The family recollected that it was upon their failure to yield to pressure mounted on them by Umahi, through one of his acolytes, one Ogbuefi Enekwachi Akpa, that all hell was let loose.
“Our clients informed us of a phone call conversation that was initiated by Mr. Enekwachi Akpa, who is an aide and associate of the Minister of Works on 5th September 2025 at about 12 noon. The call was made to Prince Njoku (one of our clients), regarding the entire family stance over an expanse of their own land,” the petition read.
The petitioners additionally alleged that it was when the family refused the phone call made to a family member (as referred above) that a member who was on ground to stop the (road) construction through their land was contacted.
“In the phone call, Minister David Nweze Umahi could be heard saying that he “uses his personal money to develop the community and some people will think that they are wise, there will be consequences,” he reportedly warned over the telephone.
It said a copy of the voice recording is enclosed in a flash drive as “Annexure 2”.
“Our clients understand the phone call to mean that they will be dealt with unless they give up their ancestral home for Umahi’s private developments. This is not an isolated case, as there are many other instances in the community where Umahi’s (Umunaga) village youths were deployed to physically attack persons who have legitimately purchased lands in areas that Minister Umahi covets, leading to persistent tension in the community.
Our clients believe that the Umunaga youth will only act in such rage with Umahi’s express support and directive. The only reason why people still live in fear of reacting is that he has overarching control over the state government and other government institutions in the state – which will not last forever,” the family alleged.
The petition also claimed that there is a recent case in which Umahi’s village youths were deployed and they allegedly destroyed the properties of private land owners, with threats to kill anyone found in the lands.
“The matter was abruptly withdrawn from court after a charge was preferred against the criminals. The withdrawal was done on the directive of Minister Umahi and since then, his quest for expropriation has widened,” the petition alleged.
The family expressed fears that apparently, no court or security agency in Ebonyi State can restrain the Minister as they are all under his influence and with their resolve to resist the Minister’s latest attempt to forcefully take over their land by running a road through the middle of their ancestral home, this being after they had given him a land through which he can build his road, they may likely face his “consequences”.
They cautioned that, “If this abuse of power is not stopped, today may not be the day its impact will be felt. One day, Umahi will be out of power and what will happen in the community can only be imagined. His activities have created a total sense of fear in the community as any dissent attracts painful retribution from his ‘boys’. “
In expressing further fears over alleged threats by Umahi against the family’s stance, the petitioners said, “With his insistence that there will be consequences for our client’s refusal to allow him into their land for his private purpose, our clients now are in fear for their safety in the community and elsewhere, including those who are resident abroad that have been threatened with “deportation” (repatriation) by the Minister over this issue, they are resolved to fight for their right, instead of living as Umahi’s slaves.”
It said, “This has led to the relocation of all our client members out of the community since the phone call of 5th September 2025 as they aren’t sure of what consequences awaited them and will rather fight alive than dead.”
The family consequently expressed its worry as to why the ground work cutting through their family land has already begun in total disregard of their right and ownership and expressed deep concern that “soon, the Minister will take down the buildings thereon and desecrate the graves of those buried in the land.
“As a federal minister, our clients are shocked that with all the federal roads needing urgent attention in Ebonyi State and beyond, Umahi is more interested in mapping out roads on private village lands for a project that is not of the Federal Government, but as he claimed, being funded by him to develop the community. The question now is; why should anyone embark on a private community development project where the lands of villagers are forcefully annexed with threats and without the consent of the entire community?” it queried.
While alleging that Umahi, like Napoleon has become “The STATE” in his tiny Uburu village, the petitioners urged the IGP to immediately call the Minister to order.
“We know that your office has the legal powers to call the Minister to order regarding his insatiable drive for grabbing private lands in his community using the cover of government and investigate him for the threat he made against our clients, but we are unsure if the will to carry out this lawful duty exists. However, ours is to lay the complaint before lawful authority and hope that the law will prevail, especially against a man who, like Napoleon, is now the STATE.
“Sir, we invite your office to conduct a thorough investigation into this matter and can guarantee you that others who are victims of these same actions by Minister Umahi will come out to testify on how he took their lands for no good reason or overriding public purpose – all are for his own private estate development, covering the entire community. We thank you in anticipation of your swift action and assure you of our clients’ cooperation throughout the investigation,” the petition concluded.
Umahi reacts
When contacted on Friday, the Special Assistant on Media to Umahi, Barrister Uchenna Orji, told our reporter that it is the position of the law that any accused person must be given a fair hearing.
He promised to get back to our reporter on the allegations against his principal after going through the petitions.
However, he was yet to get back as of the time of filing this report.
