Property Owners May Drag Delta State Govt. To Court Over Demolition

PHOTO: DELTA STATE GOVERNOR, DR EMMANUEL UDUAGHAN.

ASABA, DELTA April 15, (THEWILL) - The Delta State Government may soon be awash with litigations following their recent onslaught in demolishing private properties in Asaba, Delta State capital.

Only recently, an indigenous firm, Oil and Gas Equipment Nigeria Limited had on January, 2010 dragged the state government to Court and obtained a court injunction restraining the state government from demolition of its property and further development of the late Maryam Babangida Women Development Centre pending the determination of the case.

The current court action to be instituted against the state government is coming from Danco and Sons International Limited and Messrs, Lewis Ifeadi, Mordi Chukwu Stephen Okoye and Andrew Chuwuzo over what they termed unjust and illegal demolition of their landed property as well as unwarranted interference by the State Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Development.

In their separate protest letters dated 6th and 10th April, 2010, addressed to the Commissioner of Lands, Mr. Raymos Guanah, signed by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) and Barrister Dennis Nwanokwai respectively on behalf of Danco and Sons International Limited and others and made available to THE WILL said categorically that “The selective demolition of existing structures where the said landed property are located at Ogbe Owelle quarters, Okpanam, Oshimili North Local Government Area calls for great concern.

In the petition by the counsels to the land owners, the various plots of land belonging to its clients form part of the larger expanse of land precisely 49.32 hectares De-acquired by the Delta State Government in 2005 and reverted to its original owners the Ogbe-Owelle community through a Delta State of Nigeria Gazette No. 8 Vol. 16 dated 23rd February, 2006 page 26.

They further averred that the selective demolition in the destruction of its clients perimeter wall were a violation of their right to own and develop property in the state while the adjoining structures belonging to a “privileged few” suspected to be state House of Assembly members were left standing by the Ministry.

Consequently, both law firms have therefore demanded the sum of N20 million only as adequate compensation for the illegal demolitions carried out on its clients land as well as a written apology to its clients by the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Development for the illegal act or face legal actions.

A document in possession of THEWILL, shows that the land in question was legally acquired from the state government and receipted for by the Lands, Survey and Urban Development Ministry but because of greed and selfish interests, the state government top officials want to forcefully take the land from their legal and bonafide owners.

As at press time all effort to get the Lands Commissioner, Mr. Guanah comments proved abortive as all phone calls and text messages sent to his mobile phone were not responded to.