The traditional ruler of Umuawulu, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra, Igwe Joel Egwuonwu, has distanced himself from the lingering land dispute between Enugwu and Umuenu quarters of the community.
Egwuonwu, in a news conference on Friday, said attempts to portray him as the architect of the disagreement were false and misleading.
The monarch said he was compelled to address the controversy following public protests and personal attacks allegedly directed at him and the traditional institution over the matter.
He noted that the ownership dispute was already before a court of competent jurisdiction in Awka and urged all parties to allow the judicial process to run its course.
“It is uncharitable for anybody to associate me personally with the needless protests and paint me as the architect or cause of the disagreement between Enugwu and Umuenu quarters,” he said.
The traditional ruler alleged that some individuals from Enugwu quarter were sponsoring what he described as false narratives and protests aimed at tarnishing his reputation and that of the Umuawulu traditional institution.
He urged members of the public to disregard the allegations, insisting they were calculated to mislead the public and create division within the community.
Egwuonwu recalled that before 2019, there was no land dispute between Enugwu and Umuenu quarters, adding that the earlier litigation over the land involved Umuenu quarter and Awgbu community.
According to him, the dispute culminated in a Supreme Court judgment in 1973 in favour of Umuenu quarter.
The monarch further alleged that some leaders of Enugwu quarter had testified in the earlier litigation in support of Awgbu’s claim to the disputed land and only began asserting ownership of the land decades later.
He said that following reports of rising tension in 2020, he constituted a five-member committee chaired by his Onowu, Prof. Emma Ezenwaji, to investigate the matter and recommend solutions.
Egwuonwu said the committee concluded that the disputed land belonged to Umuenu quarter, adding that Enugwu quarter rejected the findings and subsequently approached the High Court in Awka, where the case remains pending.
He also disclosed that the Umuawulu Progress Union later constituted a four-member mediation panel headed by Mr Azubike Anazor to seek an amicable resolution of the dispute.
According to him, the panel visited the site, received oral and written submissions from the parties and, in its report submitted in August 2025, affirmed Umuenu quarter as the owner of the land.
The monarch maintained that despite hailing from Umuenu quarter, he had remained neutral throughout the dispute.
“My only offence here is that I hail from Umuenu, one of the disputing quarters. I have maintained the level of neutrality expected of a father whose children are involved in family disagreements,” he said.
Egwuonwu called on all parties to embrace peace and refrain from actions capable of escalating tensions, expressing hope that the dispute would be resolved through lawful means.
He prayed that primordial interests and divisive tendencies would not rob Umuawulu of the peace it had enjoyed over the years.
