The residents of Omogho in the Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State have called on the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to save them from hunger and homelessness caused by developers working on the second airport and industrial park project.
The aggrieved residents lamented that the developers led by some state government officials from the state ministry of works encroached on their lands measuring over 4,000 hectares, demolishing economic trees and other agricultural produce worth millions of naira without prior notice.
Recall that the state government had in 2025, announced a plan to construct a new airport and industrial park when the Managing Director, Chinua Achebe Cargo International Airport, Martins Nwafor toured the sites where the projects were to be sited in Ndikelionwu in Orumba North LGA.
But the people of Iwolo and Umunaba villages in Omogho dismissed the report that the project was being sited at Ndikelionwu, saying that rather than site the project at the designated place, officials diverted by encroaching on their land.
Investigation also showed that there is a pending suit over the affected land since 2016 with suit number AG/48/216 at the Ekwulobia High Court involving people from the two villages against a company and others, including the Anambra State government defendant.
Speaking to Journalists, the Chairman of Iwolo village, Somadina Umeh, said they were surprised when the contractors and state government officials came to their farmland with about 22 tractors around January 8 and 9, 2026, destroying agricultural produce, economic trees and other properties, without prior notifications.
Umeh said, “On inquiries, the officials said they came from the ministry of works on a mission to clear the place for the proposed new Anambra State Airport at Ndikelionwu. But we told them to stop work because the land belongs to Omogho and we were not given prior notice that would have enable us to harvest our produce and evacuate other necessary things before the demolition.
“But they remained adamant and continued encroaching on our homes and farmlands.
We demanded a meeting with them, but when they came, they refused to speak to us on camera for documentation. We demanded to see the boundary for the airport, they could not show us.
“We reject this because if they continue most of our homes would be levelled as well, leaving many homeless. We also remember that the governor earlier debunked the planned airport. That is why we are confused and calling on the governor to intervene.
“We are pleading with the governor to schedule a meeting with us so we could discuss the modalities for citing the project, including clarifying the ownership of the land, establishment of the boundaries and hectares needed and payment of adequate compensation to those whose properties, agricultural produce, economic trees and others were demolished.”
Also speaking, a 48-year-old widow, Eucharia Umeh, who stated that her farmland was affected, listed the extent of the damage incurred to include 55 chains of rice, 20 plots of yam valued chain, 60 plots of cassava, economic trees and others valued at about N15 million.
“My entire household has been devastated. Even where my son farmed was affected. Those I took loans from for the farming are after my life.
“I would have harvested the crops if I was given a notice. Soludo, please help us. We are not against development or any project you want to site in our town. All we want is for the right thing to be done,” Umeh added
Another victim, Nonso Uchedike, said he lost over N10 million worth of agricultural produce and urged the governor to save him from more encroachment which according to him, could force some persons to resort to harming themselves.
However, the Traditional Ruler of Omogho, HRM Igwe Raphael Offor, while affirming that the project was being sited in his domain, said the community was duly informed by the governor that the project would be sited and they agreed.
He said, Plans are on the ground to compensate all the affected persons once the contractors establish a boundary for the project for easy compilation of names of the individuals whose farmlands or houses were demolished in the project.”
But the Anambra State Commissioner for works, Ifeanyi Okoma denied knowledge of the ministry’s destruction of agricultural produce and other properties or development of airport city at Umunaba and Iwolo, Omogho community..
Also, the Anambra State Commissioner for Information, Dr Law Mefor, who explained that the project had not been awarded, added that he was not aware if work had commenced anywhere to that effect.
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