Landowners at the proposed Abia Airport project site in Nsulu, Isiala Ngwa North, have announced that they have reclaimed their farmlands in preparation for the new farming season.

According to Politics Nigeria, the affected communities — Okpuala, Umuezenta and Umuelenwa in Umuomainta Autonomous Community, as well as Mbawsi — said the decision was taken to prevent food shortages and cushion the effects of worsening economic hardship.

Leaders of the communities accused the Abia State Ministry of Lands and Survey of insincerity and lack of transparency in the land acquisition and compensation process. They alleged that repeated complaints over the inclusion of fictitious or non-existent names on the compensation list have not been addressed by the authorities.

Speaking during a guided tour of the proposed runway site with journalists, the Village Head of Umuezenta and Secretary of the Nsulu Landowners Association, Echezolam Ukaumunna, said the landowners were dissatisfied with the manner in which the acquisition and compensation exercise was being handled. He noted that the communities could no longer wait indefinitely while their primary means of livelihood remained inaccessible.

The development signals rising tension around the proposed airport project, with stakeholders calling for clearer communication and a more transparent compensation framework from the government.