…Landlords Accuse Lands Commissioner Of Complicity
…I Am A Very Just And Straight Forward Person, It Is Not Fair, Onianwa Replies Landlords
Landlords in Okpanam Community, a suburb of Asaba Capital Territory, Oshimili north local government Area, have accused the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa administration of leaving them at the mercy of Umuodafe Community, Ibusa, also of Oshimili north local government area of the state.
The accusation is coming on the heels of alleged extortion between N3 to N10 million demands, harassment and placing several compound gates under lock and key on the ground that they (Ibusa) won the court case between them and Okpanam Community in 2006.
The landlords who pleaded anonymity, tongue-lashed the Okowa’s government after they were asked to pay huge sums of monies as revalidation fees.
According to the landlords, they are non indigenes who purchased lands from Okpanam Community, without knowing Ibusa community had secured the Supreme Court judgement and are supposed to be protected by the government, saying the same state government authenticated their purchase as genuine.
The landlords called on the relevant authorities to take urgent steps to stop the Ibusa people from further harassing and intimidating them before the situation snowball into a major crisis.
On Wednesday, 15th September, 2021, some landlords and the Ibusa community were with director of Lands of the Ministry of Lands, Survey and Urban Development, where the Ibusa people warned that unless the landlords did the needful, they do not have any landed property in the area ceded to them by the Court.
They said: “This whole area, like other parts of the capital territory, was a complete forest 15, 20 years ago. We took the risk to open it up and today, they want to dislodge us, because of the supposed appreciation of land in Asaba and Okpanam. What kind of message are you sending to investors; that their investments can be affected at any time under any guise.
“The fraud in implementing the court judgment is that they keep shifting the boundary from the express road by the airport to back of Marble Hill and Airport View Estate. Even the map that gave the Ibusa people judgment has been uttered and manipulated to include the express area of Marble Hill and Airport View. The original cannot be found. It was stolen from the Supreme Court, we learnt. We will not be surprised at the rate they are going, to wake up one day and they say Okpanam Road area is now part of judgment, and landlord there should start revalidation or forfeit their property”, they alleged.
Speaking further, they said: “We suspect foul play on the part of the Okpanam people and the government. Their silence over the issue is worrying. That is why we are accusing the Okowa government of not protecting us, the landlords” they said.
Worse of all, is that the Commissioner of Lands, she is an interested party, being an indigene of Ibusa. How can you expect reprieve for sheep in the gathering of wolves? That is the situation we have found ourselves, and the state governor, being a Delta north person, is silent on it.
“We are talking about an area that has been fully developed. Some of us have been residing here for upward of 15 years and more.
“How do you explain it if indigenes of other parts of the state start targeting Delta North people in their locality for revalidation of their land titles. Majority of us affected are from Delta South and Central, as well as other ethnic groups.
“The Ibusa people said said they won the land at the Supreme Court since 2006. They did nothing since then to claim their land but allowed Okpanam people to sell. Even Delta State Government did not alert unsuspecting buyers about the ownership, making it culpable.
“Over 15 years after, you are coming to assert your ownership to our detriment, and the Okowa government is supporting them, forgetting that the affected landlords are struggling like others to survive.
“They are demanding million as revalidation fees for land we bought and developed long ago. Where do they except us to get such monies from in this difficult economy?
“We expect the government to take responsibility, having certified our lands, as at the time we bought as authentic and not allow the Ibusa people, with the support of the police and even thugs, to constantly be harassing and intimidating us.
“We are using this medium to beg Governor Okowa to personally intervene on the issue, as we are afraid we cannot get reprieve from the Land Commissioner.
“Our leaders and traditional rulers in Delta Central and South, should join in the appeal to the Senator Okowa-led government to call the Ibusa people to order. The government has the capacity to do the needful if it wants to”, they added.
In her swift reaction, the Commissioner for Lands, Surveys and Urban Development, Barr. Kate Onianwa, in a telephone conversation with The Story, said: “I have not even heard about it. Have they made a formal complain to my office? I just rose from a meeting now. Asaba community and a church, they are fighting over a land and they wrote to my office, I just finished the meeting with them.
“If there is anything like that, my office is open. Let them come,.let me preside over the meeting, then go to the sites and know what they are talking about. If there is anything like that, they will come, then I will listen to the two sides, then, I will need to even visit the site.
“So, they cannot just be alleging, people don’t just allege. Ask them if they have met with me one-on-one. I know that yesterday, I settled about three to four disputes from different communities. Today, one community.
“So, if they had come and I was able to preside over a kind of meeting, I have been trying to build peace, then I have been to the place, then if they say I am taking sides, I will listen. This one they have not seen me, I have not spoken to them , we have not had any formal meeting together, I have not even been to the site, you are alleging, I mean, that is not fair.
It is not fair at all, I am a very just and straight forward person”, she stressed.
