The Executive Chairman of Obingwa LGA of Abia State, Maxwell Nwadike has expressed disappointment with the destruction of some sections of the ongoing perimeter fencing in the LGA headquarters at Mgboko.
Nwadike, who inspected the affected sections on Friday, vowed that the council would no longer tolerate any act of sabotage that undermines public interest.
A statement signed by Cletus Chibueze Ebere, the media aide to the the Chairman on Friday, said that the fence was allegedly pulled down by members of Umuatubi kindred, Umuocha village, Mgboko autonomous community, noting that it affected approximately twelve sections of the perimeter fence currently under construction.
The statement said that the local government boss addressed security operatives, including the Operation Crush Squad from the State government, the Divisional Police Officer, officers from the Department of State Services, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and other stakeholders during his visit to the project site.
According to the statement, Nwadike expressed disappointment over the actions of the community members whom the local government had consistently engaged its leaders and youths in dialogue, seeking amicable resolution of their grievances regarding the land, which has been legally allocated to the local government since 1976.
Nwadike disclosed that despite the clear status of the land as government property, the community had demanded a sum of N700 million alongside portions of the land as compensation.
“In a demonstration of goodwill and commitment to peaceful coexistence, the council offered traditional compensations, including cows, monetary support, and partial land concessions.
“However, these offers were rejected due to complexities arising from portions of the land reportedly sold by some community members to private individuals, further complicating the dispute,” the statement read in part.
The Chairman further emphasized that while the community sought to halt the fencing project, he made it unequivocally clear that the local government, having fulfilled its contractual obligations to the project’s contractor, would not suspend the work.
Instead, he urged the community to carefully reconsider the peace-oriented offers presented by the government, emphasizing that development cannot be sacrificed on the altar of personal interests.
The statement further appealed to the community members to embrace peace and avoid destruction of government infrastructure, as such would attract full weight of the law.
It would be recalled that a major fire outbreak destroyed the Magistrate Court and some other sections of Obingwa LGA headquarters in the first week of February, 2025, promoting Governor Alex Otti to direct the local government Chairman to fence the council headquarters.
