Indigenes of Umuawafor, Umuokereke and Umunwogu villages in Isiala Aro-Ngwa Autonomous Community, Osisioma Ngwa Local Government Area of Abia State, have appealed to the state government to stop further acquisition of their land for development projects. The villages raised the alarm after strangers accompanied by the state security operation team, Operation Crush, appeared on their land with measuring tape, without prior notice to residents.

Community spokesperson Apollos Ufomba said when residents questioned the visitors, they identified themselves as representatives of "Abia Smart City," a claim the community rejected, saying they already had sufficient developers on their land and did not require more. He noted similar attempts to acquire the land were made by people claiming to be government agents between 2009 and 2012, but those efforts failed after a court ruled in the community's favor when the matter was challenged.

Ufomba pointed out that Umuawafor village had already donated a large portion of land free of charge to the Abia State government for the construction of the permanent site of the Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, and argued the communities deserved commendation rather than what he described as further pressure over the land they have left. "We deserve some commendation, not this harshness," he said, adding that residents want to be treated fairly as citizens of the state and expressed doubt that the governor himself was aware of the situation on the ground.

Separately, community members had earlier protested unapproved land acquisition linked to the same polytechnic project, alleging some parcels originally meant for the government had instead been sold to private developers, including PWAN Global Estate Developers and Living World Ministry, leaving the community with a shrinking portion of ancestral land.