Fresh Protests Erupt Over Abia Airport Land Compensation

Tension is brewing once again over the new airport project in Abia State, as landowners staged a peaceful protest at the project site in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North, demanding clarity and fulfillment of compensation promises.

The protest, which involved men, women, and youths from affected communities, saw workers at the site temporarily chased away as the villagers insisted that construction would not continue until all outstanding issues were addressed.

At the heart of the agitation is the claim by some landowners that their farmlands and ancestral holdings have already been cleared, yet their names are either missing from the government’s enumeration list or remain unprocessed despite filling the required indemnity forms months ago. While a few beneficiaries have reportedly received compensation, many others say they have been met with repeated assurances of payment “next week” without any fulfillment.

This development comes against the backdrop of Governor Alex Otti’s earlier declaration at a welcome rally in Isiala Ngwa that all landowners had been paid in full. That statement, which was widely publicized at the time, now stands in contrast with the grievances being voiced on the ground. For many of the protesting families, the ongoing clearing of additional lands without resolving pending compensations raises fears of neglect and possible dispossession.

Eyewitnesses told our correspondent that security operatives were later deployed to secure the project site after the protest. However, the villagers remain adamant, insisting that the government must publish a comprehensive list of those captured in the enumeration exercise and immediately settle outstanding payments before further construction proceeds.

Community sources emphasized that their agitation is not against the airport project itself which they acknowledge as a potentially transformative development for Abia State but against what they perceive as selective compensation and lack of transparency in the process.

As one community coordinator explained, “Those who have already filled indemnity forms should be paid without delay. The government must also publish the full list of enumerated landowners to give people assurance that they will not lose everything without fair compensation.”

The protest underscores a growing gap between official government assurances and the lived reality of affected communities. For a project of such economic importance, stakeholders say restoring confidence and transparency in the compensation process is not just a moral obligation but also key to ensuring uninterrupted progress on site.

As of the time of filling this report the government is yet make any official response regarding this , meanwhile has reported continued at the site