*Declares no land sold to foreigners, recovered lands reserved for posterity, schools, hospitals, industries, others
*Says land reforms aimed at restoring transparency, protecting ancestral lands
James Emejo in Abuja
The Palace of the Obi of Ogwashi-Uku has launched a strong defence of ongoing land recovery and reform initiatives in the kingdom, describing recent allegations against the monarch as a coordinated smear campaign by individuals allegedly affected by efforts to reclaim communal assets.
In a statement issued by the Palace Communications Directorate on behalf of His Royal Majesty, Dr. Ifechukwude Aninshi Okonjo II, the palace insisted that the current controversy surrounding land administration in the kingdom was being driven by vested interests seeking to frustrate reforms aimed at restoring transparency and protecting ancestral lands.
The palace said allegations ranging from unlawful land sales to claims of intimidation and criminal conduct were false and intended to discredit the monarch’s intervention in what it described as years of irregular land transactions involving communal property.
According to the statement, those behind the campaign were individuals and groups who allegedly benefited from the “unlawful appropriation and commercialisation of communal lands belonging to the Ogwashi-Uku people.”
It said, “These attacks are therefore a desperate attempt to obstruct the Palace’s ongoing efforts to sanitize land allocation, recover ancestral lands wrongfully alienated, and preserve communal assets for public development and the benefit of present and future generations.”
Defending the legitimacy of the palace’s actions, the statement maintained that courts had consistently upheld the authority of the Obi in disputes relating to communal lands in the kingdom.
It stated, “It is important to emphasise that in every major land dispute brought before courts of competent jurisdiction, the Palace has consistently been vindicated.”
The palace also rejected allegations that communal lands had been sold to foreign interests, including Chinese nationals, describing such claims as fabricated.
The statement stressed that “Contrary to the false and malicious allegations by a disreputable character identified as Comrade Victor Ochei, the Palace has not sold any land to Chinese nationals or any other foreign nationals. The charge is a complete invention.”
The palace further denied allegations of forced evictions of farmers, noting that the Obi had instead initiated legal proceedings against one of his accusers over alleged cyberstalking and character assassination.
As part of its defence, the palace highlighted a number of court-backed land recovery efforts which it said were aimed at preserving lands earmarked for public development projects.
It disclosed that through a judgment in Suit No. 0/5/2006 and the execution of a Warrant of Possession in September 2025, about 1,349 hectares of land were recovered for the kingdom.
According to the palace, the land had earlier been reserved for the proposed Anioma University of Science and Technology by the late Obi of Ogwashi-Uku, Prof. Chukwuka Okonjo.
The statement also referenced another court decision in Suit No. 0/50/2021, which it said reaffirmed the Obi’s authority over about 900 hectares of land behind the Delta State Polytechnic.
The palace claimed that attempts by estate developers and speculators to encroach on the land were dismissed by the court before peaceful possession was restored to the kingdom in August 2025.
Rejecting allegations that the monarch unlawfully ceded communal land to a senior Delta State government official, the palace said the Obi was, in fact, challenging what it termed an unauthorised transfer of community land in court.
The statement stressed, “His Royal Majesty is presently the claimant in Suit No. 0/163/2025, seeking declarations to nullify the unauthorised transfer of communal land to entities connected to the same high placed government individual.”
The palace argued that ongoing legal action against the alleged transfer contradicted accusations that the monarch was complicit in questionable land deals.
The statement further accused critics of attempting to create a false narrative around the land reforms in order to portray legitimate recovery efforts as oppression.
According to the palace, lands recovered through judicial processes were intended for projects including hospitals, schools, agriculture, and industrial development for the benefit of the wider community.
It said, “This vision of inclusive development is already producing tangible results. Under the current administration, nearly 2,000 indigenes of Ogwashi-Uku have received free land allocations with more allocations to individuals, schools, hospitals and other institutions and industries in the pipeline.”
Reaffirming its commitment to the rule of law, the palace said the monarch would remain undeterred by what it described as propaganda and sponsored attacks.
“The Palace will continue to rise above misinformation, propaganda, and sponsored attacks, relying instead on the rule of law and the enduring traditions of the Kingdom to safeguard the inheritance of the Ogwashi-Uku people,” it stated.
