10 Landowners Die As Government Demolished N30bn Worth Of Property In Delta State
In Delta State, more than 2,000 landowners have opposed the purchase and destruction of properties valued at over N30 billion even though 10 of them are said to have died from heart attacks as a result of the development.
The land behind Asaba International Airport was allegedly sold by Umuodafe Quarters in the state’s Ibusa, Oshimili North Local Government Area, but was afterward taken by force by the Delta State Government.
The demonstrators held signs that read, among other things, “Okowa leave our land alone,” “Some of us accepted a loan to purchase this land,” and “Okowa enough of injustice.”
Mr. Raymond Ifeanyi, a displaced Boko Haram victim, spoke on behalf of the demonstrators and bemoaned the alleged illegal taking of their land by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.
He stated, “We purchased this land in 2018, and to our astonishment, they brought a bulldozer and began destroying all of our stuff after learning that Governor Okowa had purchased the site.”Boko Haram destroyed my home in the North, so with the little I had left, I moved here to Asaba, purchased a plot of land, and began construction so that my family might have somewhere to live.
All of our property, worth more than N30 billion, was destroyed by a bulldozer they brought in. We obtained the land from the community following all legal requirements, and the paperwork is in place.Another landowner, Engr.
Akeen Lasisi, and a widow, Mrs. Juliana Ogbuagwu, bemoaned the fact that they had invested more than N200 million in the property despite having legally purchased it from the neighborhood.
“Before buying the land, we inquired about it. Before we purchased it from the community, the government’s Ministry of Lands and Survey confirmed that it was a free piece of land”.They revealed that during the battles over the property, more than 10 members had died of heart attacks.
According to Mr. Charles Aniagwu, Commissioner for Information, the land in question was purchased in the interest of the general public.He said that the government had long ago purchased the entire tract of land in question since it served the greater good.
