Residents bemoan demolition of ancestral homes in Enugu
Written by Adeola Ibrahim on May 2, 2024
The residents and natives of Uzamu Isinomeh, Emene Nike (Enugu East Local Government Area) Enugu State, were struck with tragedy on Monday, as officials of Enugu State government agency demolished their homes, leaving them displaced and in debt.
Among the victims were widows, including one Ezinne Blessing Nkemjurum Oguike, who told journalists that some suspected officials from the Ministry of lands and Enugu Capital Territory Development Authority, ordered the demolition of their homes.
Speaking through her son, Chukwuebuka, Mrs Oguike, who is originally from Imo State, said that they acquired the land, from the ancestral owners of the land before the Akanu Ibiam International Airport was built. She also stated that the land has been in use for over 62 years ago.
The octogenarian claimed that they had lost over 500 million naira due to the demolition and to make things worse, they were not issued a vacation notice or notice of acquisition of the land by the government before the demolition exercise took place on Monday, April 29, 2024.
She further claimed that they have filed the necessary paperwork for the ownership of the land, as encouraged to by a former governor of the state, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi who in turn approved her request for the grant of C of O via a letter dated 20/02/2024.
Going on, she stated that she paid the assessed C of O fees of N5,832,120.12 (Five million, eight hundred and thirty-two thousand, one hundred and twenty Naira, twelve Kobo) into the Enugu State IGR and obtained a receipt but the issuance of the C of O was stopped on the ground that there was order from above.
Another affected widow, Mrs Eunice Agbo, a native of Uzamu Isinomeh whose ancestral home was also turned to dust, said that after the death of her husband in 1979, she took out time to get a photocopy of a map from the archives showing the late Innocent Agbo, as the owner of the Ishi Nome land.
Eunice stated that she made efforts to get the C of O from the ministry of land but was dissuaded that it was not necessary because the land is their ancestral land. She added that she had gone to make confirmation from to the Ministry of Lands and Archives.
The widows appealed to the State Government to wade into the matter to stop them from becoming tenants or evicted from their ancestral/acquired lands.
The Enugu State government is yet to react to the claims as of the time of filing this report.
