Indigenes of Ebenesi Community in Nnobi, Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, have protested against the planned demolition of their ancestral homes to make way for a power line project.
The protesters appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, to intervene in the dispute between the community and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
According to reports, the residents alleged that more than six elders had collapsed and died following the marking of houses for demolition by officials of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board.
The community’s chairman, Chief Okechukwu Oraka, said the residents were not opposed to development but insisted that alternative arrangements must be made for affected families before any demolition.
He alleged that the power line route was diverted to Nnobi and called for the project to be relocated or constructed underground to avoid destroying residential buildings.
The protesters, including youths and elderly residents, displayed placards and chanted songs against the planned demolition. They also appealed to the authorities to consider the community’s long history of occupation and lack of alternative land.
An 81 year old retired civil servant, Mrs Comfort Ngwudo, urged the government to reconsider the planned demolition, saying many residents had lived on their ancestral land for generations.
The protesters later visited the traditional ruler’s palace and other quarters of Nnobi, where community leaders commended their peaceful conduct and promised to convey their concerns to the relevant authorities.
However, a senior official of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Cletus Ohame, said the demolition notices were duly served on affected property owners.
Ohame maintained that the area had been earmarked for the power line project for many years, describing the development as part of ongoing infrastructural development.
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