Eleme LG Council Boss Talks Tough, Vows to Resist Intruders, Landgrabbers along Boundary with Okrika
Recent disturbances arising from land disputes along the Woji-Aleto-Alesa Link Road, which connects Eleme, Okrika, and Port Harcourt Local Government Areas, have posed serious concerns for residents of the area around the road, prompting the swift intervention of the Eleme Local Government.
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, July 2, 2026, Chairman of Eleme LGA, Obarilomate Ollor, announced sweeping measures which he said are meant to halt illegal land-grabbing and criminality, as well as restore normalcy to the area.
He declared that his administration will not surrender any part of Eleme ancestral land to criminals, citing what he described as persistent illegal land invasions, forceful encroachment and criminal activities along the Woji–Aleto–Alesa Link Road and the Agbonchia–Akpajo axis of the Port Harcourt Ring Road.
“The Government of Eleme Local Government Area will not surrender even an inch of our ancestral land to criminals, landgrabbers or their collaborators. We shall deploy every lawful means available to protect our people, preserve our heritage and defend the rights of every law-abiding citizen,” Ollor declared.
According to him, armed land grabbers, allegedly working with some real estate developers, have continued to terrorise indigenous landowners, women, youths and farmers through intimidation, extortion and violent attacks.
“Our farmers are now forced to pay illegal tolls before accessing their farmlands, while lawful landowners are harassed and extorted whenever they attempt to inspect their properties. This has led to loss of lives, destruction of property and growing insecurity in Eleme,” he lamented.
Ollor consequently disclosed that he had signed an Executive Order suspending all real estate activities across Eleme Local Government Area pending a comprehensive review and verification exercise.
In a bid to immediately address the issues, he directed that all estate developers, surveyors and individuals intending to engage in land-related business within Eleme must first obtain clearance from the Local Government Council and secure all statutory approvals through the Office of the Executive Chairman before commencing operations.
The council boss reaffirmed Eleme’s ownership of the disputed lands, referring to the White Paper of the Justice Charles Granville Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the Eleme–Ogu/Okrika communal conflict, as well as the 1957 Supreme Court judgment, which vested the radical title of the land in the Eleme people.
“At no time in our history were these lands ceded to any individual, private organisation or external interest,” Ollor declared.
He ordered all current land developers to vacate the area, while warning prospective investors o exercise caution as criminal syndicates have been using forged documents and fraudulent claims of ownership to sell lands to unsuspecting buyers.
In a dramatic move, Ollor publicly identified names, including Martins Ala (a.k.a. Don Amadi Boy), Kingsley Akpan, Christopher Ogolo, and others, as individuals allegedly involved in using armed thugs for illegal land grabbing, unlawful land grading, and fraudulent land sales, warning them to desist from the unlawful acts.
The chairman also directed more than 20 real estate companies operating within Eleme to report to the council and clarify the legality of their operations, warning that failure to comply would attract appropriate legal action.
He stated that the council had petitioned the Rivers State House of Assembly seeking a legislative investigation into alleged land grabbing, sponsorship of armed gangs and related criminal activities in the area, while appealing to the Rivers State Commissioner of Police to do same and restore law and order.
Meanwhile, there has been no official comments regarding the development from the leadership of the Okrika Local Government Area as at the time of filing this report.
