The resolve was firm, a product from several meetings. That was the motivation that propelled the select Youths of Elelenwo community. The protest match held on a Tuesday’s morning, had up to a hundreds expressing anger, howbeit, wildly and overzealously. It showed a high level exhibition of exuberance. Such that was always considered to be part of the behaviour of a free running course of youths without a guide.

And the public march, co-ordinated by elders; who would feel insulted if they were called youths, were more confused. And their voices never commanded any authority any more. At the point, the leader of the group who was also the chairman of Elelenwon Community Council, elder Vincent Bekwele Otto, got apiece.

By his assessment, he thought the mission was accomplished and the youths should redraw. But they had become uncontrollably wild. And none of them was willing to take further instructions from him. Even when he threatened to leave the scene without them, they did not bulge. And truly Elder Otto was obligated. He told newsmen that the plan was to demonstrate with placards. That was done and some of the inscriptions read, ‘Time to take over our Land and Enough is enough.’ That was normal. Then they would go to the farm land called Egbelu and destroy fences over buildings that had been erected illegally.

Their grouse was that one Eze Francis Amadi, the paramount ruler of Iriebe had continued to sell off land on Egbelu farmland. That was a serious trespass because he has no right to do so. With his thugs they had chased farmers and frustrated genuine use of the land by the rightful owners.

Elder Otto said Elelenwo own the land. And with such action taken, prospective land buyers would be wary of the place. They would also be compelled to make thorough investigation before buying land on Egbelu farmland. And even Eze Amadi would know that the real owners of the land were not docile and clout less, Elder Vincent Bekwele Otto, said.

The Elelenwo youths, conveyed in an open articulated truck from Elelenwo, where they were mobilised for the protest march, came with native drums to beat protest musical tunes. They had placards with inscriptions like. They also had machetes, sledge hammers, sticks and with straps bags hung on their apparently concealing other instrument.

The youths walked into the farm land area started to destroy fences. They mashed window and door glasses, tore roof zincs into shreds and burnt a building. There was a sudden uproar and the scene was an angry bloodletting one. But the suspected infringing youth who was attacked as a spy was given prompt medical attention. Money was raised immediately to that effect and taken to a clinic in Elelenwon.

At this point the back-up police officers started to withdraw. They were hired from Elelenwon Divisional police station, numbering nine. It was their exit that encouraged officers from the Oyigbo Divisional Police station to set in. Quickly, they arrested one Mr. Ike and were already taking away when Elder Otto intervened. He submitted himself in place of Mr. Ike for the arrest.

Paramount ruler of Rumuoduwere community in Elelenwon Eze Ruben Nyeche affirmed the protest match. He said it was one option used to confront Eze Amadi who had enjoyed police backing to continue in the act of selling their land. He said there was a pending court case between them but Eze Amadi had refused to appear in court using his lawyer to obtain several kinds of excuses to be away from court. But the land selling spree never abated.

President, Peacock Garden City Landlords Association, owners of property at the disputed area, Mr Steve Osuoho condemned the wonton destruction of building owned by people not connected to any squabble that might exist between the Elelenwon and Iriebe communities. He said they bought the land from the requisite authority and did not want to be dragged into communal problems. He appealed to the rivers state government to wade into the situation to stem an escalation of the situation.

The Iriebi community development committee chairman, Mr. Temple Eleto alleged that some of the boys on the protest mission are trouble makers who had been arrested by the police in the area before and would not want to say more than say that if Elelenwon community was aggrieved, it was not the proper thing to do taking laws into their hands.

Mr. Eleto affirmed that Eze Amadi was indisposed and out of public eye. But that he, Eze Amadi was aware of the exiting common boundary between the two communities. And they had been good neighbours living peacefully. He said as custodian of all land in the Iriebe community, he would not meddle in affairs that did not fall within his jurisdiction. He would wait for the relevant authority to investigate the matter and resolve the issue. On the contested portion of land, Eze Amadi the piece of land where the raid was done is squarely in Iriebe territory and described the youths as misguided.

A victim whose house was burnt, Mr. Chukwuma Azubuike was in tears as he gathered the debris. He lamented the sudden destruction of what he had put with years of hard labour and wondered what would happened to him were him in the house when the youths came.

Dispute over land is regular and volatile in the area where two or three person could lay claim to a piece of land. Only the state government can arbiter in the issues and draw up real visible boundaries. But the question is what would be the fate of all those who had purchased land in the disputed area?

A legal practitioner, Mr Daniel Oguowere said the law would find both the seller and buyer of a piece of law wrongly and illegally, culpable.