The Chairman of Eleme Local Government Area, Chief Hon. Obarilomate Ollor, has announced that all individuals and entities allegedly occupying disputed ancestral lands in Eleme have been directed to suspend all activities and vacate the affected areas pending the conclusion of a police investigation.
Chief Ollor disclosed this after a tripartite meeting convened by the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, which brought together stakeholders from Eleme and Okrika Local Government Areas to address the lingering land dispute.
The meeting followed allegations of illegal land encroachment, land grabbing and attacks on indigenous landowners in parts of Eleme, particularly along the Woji–Aleto–Alesa Link Road, the Railway Corridor, the High Tension area of Aleto, as well as Alode and Akpajo-Agbonchia communities.
The dispute recently triggered protests by youths, disrupting traffic along sections of the East–West Road, including Refinery Junction, Alode Junction and GVC Junction.
Speaking after the meeting, Ollor said both delegations presented their positions before the Commissioner of Police in what he described as a constructive engagement aimed at restoring peace and protecting lives and property.
According to him, the meeting established that the matter was not an ethnic conflict between the people of Eleme and Okrika but a land dispute allegedly fuelled by the actions of a few individuals.
“They have been ordered to vacate our land pending investigation. The Commissioner of Police directed that all activities within the disputed areas be suspended, while those occupying the land without lawful authority should vacate the affected locations to allow security agencies to conduct an unhindered investigation,” Ollor said.
He added that all parties were instructed to submit their claims and supporting documents to the Office of the Commissioner of Police to facilitate a thorough investigation and lawful resolution of the dispute.
The council chairman assured residents that his administration would closely monitor compliance with the police directive and urged original landowners to remain vigilant and report any fresh cases of trespass or encroachment to the council.
Ollor also announced plans to establish a panel to receive petitions from aggrieved landowners whose properties were allegedly encroached upon, with a view to assisting them in reclaiming their lands through lawful means.
He commended the Rivers State Police Command for its swift intervention and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to protecting Eleme’s ancestral lands while urging residents to remain calm, law-abiding and allow security agencies to carry out their investigation.
