A DESECRATED HOMELAND, A TERRIFIED PEOPLE: GOVERNOR PETER MBAH, THE TIME TO RECLAIM UKPATA IS NOW;
RECLAIM UKPATA AND UZO-UWANI BEFORE A DE FACTO TERRITORIAL CONQUEST BECOMES IRREVERSIBLE
It is the voice of a community; the voice of its people; the voice of Ukpata. Chief Eziuche Linus (Onowu of Ukpata) is not merely a major stakeholder in Ukpata community, Uzo-Uwani LGA, Enugu State; he is the eye, the voice and the mouthpiece of a community whose ancestral lands are reportedly being desecrated by monsters in human form. His account alleges that armed marauders, described as jihadist Fulani bandits masquerading as herdsmen, have forcibly occupied their farmlands. Their tale is devastating. I will share this disturbing exposition with the world, to draw attention to the agony of a community that fears it is being conquered and dispossessed within Enugu State, Nigeria. It is shocking, heartbreaking and deeply alarming.
Ukpata is an agrarian community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, whose people depend predominantly on farming for their survival. Yet, this disturbing account by a prominent community leader, contained in an audio message, paints a harrowing picture of alleged territorial encroachment, displacement, sexual violence and the progressive loss of ancestral farmlands to armed jihadist marauders reportedly masquerading as herdsmen.
It is important to issue this disclaimer: the expression “jihadist Fulani bandits” as employed in the context of this text is not intended to generalise or characterise the entire Fulani ethnic group as jihadists or bandits. It refers specifically to the criminal elements alleged to be operating from thick forests, where they reportedly carry out their nefarious activities. Criminality must be confronted without ethnic prejudice, but neither should the fear of being misunderstood prevent us from speaking forcefully against the atrocities of armed criminal groups.
The account is mind-boggling, profoundly distressing and demands urgent intervention. How can such a situation persist in a state widely commended for its governance while an agrarian community lives under the shadow of fear, dispossession and possible annihilation? His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, must do more to sanitise these forests and reclaim these desecrated lands. Ukpata is in Enugu State. These are your people. Their ancestral lands fall within your jurisdiction, and their cries must not go unanswered. Something must be done, and it must be done now.
The community leader’s account alleges that women have been subjected to violent rape on their ancestral farmlands, while those who challenge the marauders face threats and possible elimination. What ought to be an unthinkable violation of human dignity is, according to this disturbing testimony, becoming a terrifying reality. This is not merely a security incident; it is an assault on human dignity, communal existence and the fundamental right of a people to live, farm and remain on their ancestral land without fear. No government should watch helplessly while its citizens lose the freedom to cultivate their farms, protect their families and move safely within their own homeland.
Where are the security agencies? Where are the forest guards? Where is the coordinated security response required to reclaim these territories and restore the confidence of the displaced and terrorised people? Where, too, are Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Igbo youths while communities are losing their ancestral heritage in broad daylight, even as political calculations and electioneering increasingly dominate public attention? Must the people of Ukpata wait until the situation deteriorates beyond redemption before their cries receive the attention they deserve?
The situation in Uzo-Uwani demands a serious, independent investigation and immediate, decisive action. Governor Mbah, this is the time to take the bull by the horns: deploy the necessary security resources, investigate these allegations, protect vulnerable residents, recover unlawfully occupied farmlands and ensure that displaced families can return safely to their homes and livelihoods. The forests must not become sanctuaries from which armed criminal elements terrorise law-abiding citizens and progressively undermine the authority of the state.
I must sound this alarm unequivocally: if the alleged territorial encroachment is allowed to continue unchecked, there is a grave danger that more ancestral lands will be lost, more families displaced and more communities reduced to frightened spectators in their own homeland. What begins as the occupation of a few farmlands may, if left unchecked, evolve into a de facto territorial conquest that becomes increasingly difficult to reverse. We must not wait until today’s desperate cries become tomorrow’s irreversible tragedy.
His Excellency, Governor Peter Mbah, who has commendably done well in areas of governance, I urge you to seek every necessary form of assistance now. Do not wait until the situation metastasises into a wider territorial and humanitarian crisis. The people of Ukpata deserve protection, not abandonment; security, and the assurance that no community will be sacrificed to the advance of armed violence. The preservation of their ancestral lands is not merely a local concern; it is a test of the state’s capacity to protect lives, uphold the law and prevent the gradual erosion of public authority in vulnerable rural communities.
The time for urgent intervention is now. Let history record that when the alarm was sounded, decisive action followed, not that the cries of a threatened community were ignored until the damage became irreversible.
Osita dị mma, ọ dịbara gboo.
Signed
Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq., KSC
Dunu-Ezeugosinschi
October 28, 2026