The Nsulu Stakeholders Forum (NSF) has called on Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, to respect a court order issued by the state High Court in Okpuala Ngwa, which directed the state government to halt any further action regarding the seizure of 1,350 hectares of land from several Nsulu communities in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area. The land was earmarked for the proposed Abia Airport project.

The affected Nsulu communities, which include Ikputu, Umuikeocha, Umuode, and several others, have raised concerns about the project, noting that the land is crucial to their livelihoods. NSF, through its Convener Mazi Chigoram, emphasized that the court’s ruling, made by Justice Enyinnaya Okezie on December 20, 2024, must be obeyed, as any action taken by the state government in defiance of the court order would be illegal.

In the ruling, Justice Okezie ordered that the state’s Civil Litigation Department must stay all actions concerning the land until further legal proceedings are concluded. Despite the order, NSF has claimed that the state government, led by Governor Otti, continued actions such as clearing the land, and that his Special Assistant on Lands and Housing, Pastor Okorougo Aji, has been organizing meetings with community leaders, further complicating the dispute.

The NSF has made it clear that while the communities are not opposed to the establishment of an airport in the state, they are concerned about the environmental impact and the proposed location of the airport within a densely populated area. The affected communities assert that much of the land previously designated for the project under the previous administration is still uninhabited and should be utilized instead, as it was already acquired and approved for an airport project.

Asserting that the land being targeted by the current administration is vital for the survival of the local people, NSF has called on Governor Otti to comply with the court’s order and halt any further action on the land until a proper environmental assessment is conducted.