BY AGNES NWORIE, ABAKALIKI
A property owner, Raphael Uzodinma, has petitioned the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, over the alleged destruction of his houses and business property by Nkaleke Unuhu community in Izzi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State.
In the petition, filed through his counsel, Patrick Egwu, Uzodinma alleged threats to life, violence, malicious damage, forcible entry, criminal trespass and conducts likely to cause breach of peace by the community.
The Police Service Commission, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives and the Presidency were copied in the petition as the petitioner sought urgent intervention in the matter to avert what he described as a looming crisis.
He alleged that some sons of the Nkaleke Unuhu community were behind the destruction of his property and means of livelihood.
The petition, authored by his lawyer, read, “It is pertinent and we feel duty bound to bring to your attention an ongoing ugly and dangerous trend that is a direct affront to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria being deliberately perpetrated by natives of Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.
“This trend is carefully targeted against choice landed properties belonging to non-Abakaliki indigenes. We make bold to state that our present client is a victim of this nefarious act of illegal demolitions of buildings/businesses belonging to non-indigenes as the pattern being employed by the present actors is the same that had been adopted in the past by the same group of people.
“This ugly trend, if not nipped in the bud, will grow into a monster that will not only consume Ebonyi State but the whole of South East.
“The scene of the crimes stated above is a property housing a number of businesses including a rice processing factory, lying along Abakaliki-Enugu Expressway, adjacent to Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki (AE-FUTHA) II, Ebonyi State.
“The property belongs to our client and our client has been in undisturbed possession of the property since the early 1950s, long before the creation of Ebonyi State. The property has since then been in use for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to farming, stone crushing factory, rice processing factory, metallurgical factory, block industry, etc.
“Before the forcible entry and subsequent demolition of buildings and businesses, the property was fully occupied by tenants numbering over 100 (one hundred) who were put there by our client and who have been doing their businesses/enterprises on the land to sustain themselves and families.
“These present tenants have been peacefully enjoying their tenancy and have been paying their rents to our client for periods ranging from 10 (ten) to 40 (forty) years. That nobody or group of persons or villagers has/have ever challenged or contested ownership of the land against our client.”
