ASABA/Nigeria: The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has called on the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to direct that all petitions arising from the protracted Amachai–Okpanam land dispute in Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State be handled exclusively by the Delta State Commissioner of Police, Aina Adesina, in the interest of fairness, professionalism and respect for the rule of law.
The call was contained in a statement signed by the National President of the organisation, Dr. Kehinde Taiga, and made available to journalists in Asaba. The rights group condemned alleged land grabbing, contempt of court and the reported misuse of security agencies to intimidate or dispossess communities of their ancestral lands, warning that such practices were inimical to democracy, judicial independence and social stability.
CDHR cautioned that land grabbers should not be allowed to provoke violence, sow division or undermine judicial authority in Amachai Community or anywhere else in the country, stressing its commitment to the protection of fundamental human rights, the independence of the judiciary and the preservation of peace, justice and constitutional order across Nigeria.
According to the group, Amachai Community is made up of four families — Umuezegbe, Umuezenzuo, Umugbala and Umurie — and for generations has operated under a recognised traditional governance structure in which communal land is held in trust by the Diokpa, the eldest person among the four families, in line with customary law. It said the alleged violations of the rule of law in the ongoing dispute had threatened public peace, undermined judicial authority and infringed on the constitutionally guaranteed rights of the people.
“The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Nigeria, expresses grave concern over the escalating tension and persistent violations of the rule of law arising from the protracted land dispute involving the Amachai Community of Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area of Delta State, which is presently pending before courts of competent jurisdiction,” the statement read.
Dr. Taiga recalled that court proceedings arising from internal disagreements in the community dated back to 2012, adding that judgments delivered by Justice M. C. Okoh at the Akwukwu-Igbo High Court of Justice did not vest ownership or possession of the land in any faction referred to as Amachai Group A or B, but affirmed custodianship in favour of the Diokpa in line with established custom and governance structure.
“There was no time any court lawfully transferred the land to any external individual or corporate entity,” the group stated, alleging that a writ of possession was later obtained from another court without recourse to the Akwukwu-Igbo High Court which delivered the substantive judgment.
It described the development as forgery and uttering of forged documents, criminal offences under Nigerian law, a gross abuse of court process and contempt of court, particularly where such documents were allegedly used to undermine subsisting proceedings.
“CDHR unequivocally condemns reported attempts to enforce possession in defiance of this subsisting court order, allegedly with the presence and support of police and military personnel. Such actions, if established, amount to contempt of court and a direct assault on the independence of the judiciary,” the statement added.
The organisation further urged the police not to arrest, detain or harass any community member on the basis of unsubstantiated or malicious allegations connected to land ownership, but to ensure strict compliance with all subsisting court orders and injunctions, and to sanction any officer found to have acted outside the law or in furtherance of land grabbing.
Dr. Taiga called for the immediate cessation of all acts of intimidation, harassment, trespass or force in Amachai Community, the enforcement of all existing court orders, the withdrawal of security personnel from land possession activities, and the pursuit of good-faith dialogue and reconciliation led by community elders and relevant stakeholders to restore peace in the area.
