Landowners and stakeholders in the proposed Abia Airport in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State, have objected to the indemnity forms being forced upon them by the state government.
They argue that these forms compel landowners to mortgage their future and that of their descendants.
The state government has scheduled compensation hearings and land acquisition for several communities, many of which are not directly affected by the airport project, while outstanding land issues have not been resolved with the communities.
Stakeholders point out that the total land required for the proposed airport has not been agreed with landowners, nor have the criteria for compensating them for land, economic trees, and crops.
Furthermore, they note that ongoing court cases are pending before the Abia State High Court in Okpualangwa and the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
They claim the state government has disregarded a High Court order instructing them to halt any further action on the land.
Concerns have also been raised by them regarding inflated compensation lists in various communities, populated with fictitious names, they have further petitioned the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) regarding this issue, and are awaiting responses.
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The stakeholders also complain that, despite Governor Alex Otti stating that the government’s focus is on the runway, many communities distant from it are being pressured – even threatened – to sign the indemnity form.
This form, they noted does not specify the amount of land held by each individual, nor the value of any economic trees or crops on the land.
They highlight the example of one community where the government’s compensation list contains nearly 2,000 names, despite there being only around 200 actual landowners, many of whom are unknown to the community.
They fear this is a deliberate attempt to deny rightful entitlement to genuine landowners and landgrabbing.
The stakeholders stress they are not opposed to the airport project per se, but insist it should not come at the cost of condemning the people to destitution, leaving them without land to farm or build homes for their growing population.
They argue that compensation alone will not mitigate the hardship faced by communities whose land is irreplaceable, and who risk being rendered landless for both farming and housing for future generations.
They are appealing to conscientious citizens across Nigeria to condemn the Abia State government’s attempt to seize their land, warning that the consequences for the communities will be severe if left unchecked.
