Some Landlords in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State have strongly resisted the demolition of their buildings by the Umuahia Capital Development Agency (UCDA), insisting that the action is unjust, ill-timed and illegal.
Some of the Landlords at Alaoji Ogbodudu, Umuana Ndume Ibeku, in Umuahia North Local Government Area of Abia State who spoke with our correspondent accused the UCDA of demolishing their properties without a court order, asserting that the action constitutes an unjust use of force to remove them from their land. They claim the demolition was carried out unlawfully and infringes on their rights.
Mr. Otuu Iwela, one of the landlords denounced UCDA's demolition of their fences as a breach of their rights and urgently appealed to Governor Alex Otti for intervention. He emphasized that the action undermines their property rights and seeks prompt redress from the state's leadership. He asserted that they had obtained their lands legally, with all required approvals from the Government.
Another landlord, Mr. Cyril Ogbu, explained that he had secured the allocation papers for his land through the Ministry of Lands and questioned the basis for UCDA's actions. He expressed deep concern over the plight of property owners affected by the demolition and urgently appealed to the Governor to intervene and address the situation. “I still don’t understand why I am being forcibly evicted from my legally acquired home,” he exclaimed in frustration, seeking clarity and justice for the unwarranted disruption to his property rights.
"They have removed our fences and gates, including that of empty lands. We purchased the land with official allocation papers. Before commencing construction, we registered our buildings with the Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA)", He added.
Reacting to the Landlords, Mr. Kingsley Agomuo, the General Manager of UCDA, stated that the individuals making the complaints were trespassers who had unlawfully entered public land. He clarified that the land in question is owned by Government College Umuahia, and the Government is simply reclaiming it for the school.
He further explained that the agency was merely following the State Government's directive to reclaim lands unlawfully taken from public schools. He expressed regret that over 170 public school properties had been encroached upon by private individuals, often with the help of corrupt Government officials from the previous administration.
” Government only demolished the fences but the building itself will be handed over to Government College as directed by the Governor. How can a private individual go and erect structure on school premises and fence it off?”. Even the community has said they never asked anybody to sell their land. So, those people who bought the land are on their own.”
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When asked about how the Government would penalize the Ministry of Lands officials involved in the misconduct, the UCDA boss suggested that the victims should seek out the officials directly to recover their money, stating that their transactions have no documentation in any Government record.
Agomuo also noted that the Government intends to recover school lands that had been sold by churches, which had earlier returned their schools to Government control.
