The Asaba community has called on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to respect their king, the Asagba of Asaba, Prof Chike Edozien.

Hundreds of youths and elders of Asaba on Thursday took to the street in protest over what they called Okowa’s “disregard” for the Asaba monarch.

The protesters, who besieged the Government House, carried placards with various inscriptions: ‘Respect Asagba of Asaba, don’t insult Africa’s oldest Professor of Medicine’; ‘Our King, our land is our heritage, please Okowa leave our land alone’; ‘Leave our lands alone.”

Speaking on behalf of the protesters, the Chairman, Agu-Na-Ugboma Land Committee, Mr Chukwumeka Nwosa, called on the Okowa administration to respect the Asagba of Asaba.

He said, “We are here on two issues: one is to tell the governor that we are aware of the issue between the government and our king, the Asagba of Asaba.

“We want to urge that our monarch should be respected. We don’t have two kings in Asaba; only one, the Asagba of Asaba and no other. The second issue is to tell the governor to leave our land for us to enable our generation have a place of theirs.”

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A cabinet member in the Asagba palace, Obi Amuwah Obajanma said the community had ceded about 90 per cent of its land to the government over the years.

He frowned on the manner the government brought Chinese companies to illegally and forcefully acquire over 7,000 hectares of land belonging to the Agu-Na-Ugboma family.

Addressing the protesters, the Chief of Staff, Government House, Mr Festus Aga, said, “I want to assure you that the Asagba of Asaba is one of the respected kings and Okowa will not do anything to undermine the revered monarch.’’