Rights Group Flays Demolition of over 65 Residential Buildings by the Delta State Govt. at Ifiekporo in Delta

Tejiri Ebikeme,

Members of the Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivilege, (CENTREP) have flayed the recent demolition of over 65 residential buildings by the Delta State Sanitation Task Force led by the Environment Commissioner, Chief Frank Omare at Ifiekporo Town in the Warri South Local Government Area of the State.

Executive Director of CENTREP, Oghenejabor Ikimi, said in a press statement made available to our Correspondent said the demolition exercise was carried out without due process or a court order under the pretext that the said houses were built on an expanse of land reserved for use as a burial site for monarchs and we condemn same as barbaric and a naked show of executive rascality.

He said “We are not oblivious of the fact that over 200 families were rendered homeless in one swoop without notice or due process as a result of the above inaction of Government and we call on the State Government to adequately compensate the victims without delay as information reaching us indicates that the above demolished residential buildings were duly covered with approved building plans after the said buildings were registered by their Owners through the State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development.”

He queried that “if we may ask, was it not the duty of the State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development to have alerted Land developers at the point of applying for the approval of their proposed buildings that the Land in question was encumbered or that same was reserved as a burial ground for monarchs and a heritage site for that matter?”

“Was it not incumbent on the State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development as a Ministry to protect prospective Land developers from the unwholesome activities of Land speculators through the provision of a data base of all publicly acquired Lands in the State as done in Lagos State and other civilized climes?. Why did the State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development through its Circle Office collect building approval fees from concerned Landowners after inspection? Or was it not incumbent on the said Ministry officials to have inspected the Land in question before approval?,” he added.

According to him, “These and many other questions have been left unanswered by officials of the above Ministry and the Delta State Government. Until the above salient questions and many others are answered, the defence of State Government that the demolished buildings were a product of illegality pales to insignificant as they provided the enabling environment in the first place for the above illegality to thrive.”

In his words; “We reiterate here that it is the primary responsibility of Government to ensure the security and welfare of its citizens in accordance with Section 14(2)(b) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). In the instant case, the Delta State Government failed woefully to protect the above Land developers from fraudulent Land speculators and indeed joined officials of the State Ministry of Lands and Urban Development and fraudulent Land speculators at Ifiekporo Town to cause the above innocent and unsuspecting Land developers/owners pains.”

The above action of the State Government, he said no doubt, is an act of pure injustice and we call on the State Government to immediately compensate the above victims as justice delayed is justice denied.