Police Headquarters Probes Enugu Speaker, Commissioners Over Land Grab Scandals

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Saturday, June 23rd, 2018

From Ignatius Okpara, Enugu

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Force headquarters in Abuja, the Nigeria’s capital, has invited some Enugu state government officials, including Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi, over their alleged involvement in the recent demolition of 25 building undergoing construction belonging to one Architect Jonathan Emejulu in a disputed land at Umuenwene Iji Nike Community in Enugu East council area of Enugu state.

Investigation by our Correspondent reveals that the matter took a new twist recently when a detachment of Force Headquarters operatives, of the Nigeria

Police Abuja, visited the disputed land to ascertain why the said 25 buildings were maliciously demolished.

The Enugu government officials, it was learnt, claimed that the state government had earlier revoked the land and brought some hoodlums to demolish the 25 structures belonging to Emejulu.

A Source who craved anonymity confided on African Examiner that at the end of the police visit, the Force headquarters invited the commissioners in the Ministries of Commerce and Industry, Transport, Lands and Survey; the Speaker, as well as former council chairman of Enugu East local government area, Chief Cornelius Nnaji to Abuja on 22, June 2018 for questioning .

The officials were accused of masterminding the demolition of said over 25

buildings in the Airport Road Layout phase iv and v

Few months ago, Emejulu, had gotten a court judgment to take possession of the expanse of land he purchased in 2008, following the ruling, a bulldozer

moved into the place on April 28, with the full protection of police and demolished buildings valued millions of naira belonging to mostly officials of the state government for trespassing.

However, few days after the demolition, those affected went back to the disputed land and started rebuilding the effected buildings.

Aside embarking on the rebuilding of the demolished buildings, they were also accused of selling plots of land in the area to their friends in government.

Speaking with newsmen weekend on the matter in Enugu, Emejulu said some commissioners got as many as five plots to support the illegality, adding that the worrisome aspect was that an Area Commander in the state provided security for the people to continue building in the area in total disregard to rule of law.

“The area commander is saying that the judgement is fake, My life is in danger as they keep threatening to kill me. I want the world to know what I am suffering in the hands of officials of Enugu state government”, Emejulu cried out.

When Ubosi was approached for his reaction at the wake of pulling down the illegal structures in the land, he said he had “no comment.”

However, Nnaji, on his part, denied any involvement in the land saga, claiming that he had no land or property in the layout and therefore could not have had

any friction with Emejulu, to warrant the accusation.

He said, “The man is just calling my name and the Speaker’s name to tarnish our image. I have no property there. I’m not in contention with him”.

“But if he says he owns the layout let him provide the layout plan and the plot numbers. That place is part of Free Trade Zone which was recently flagged off by the government. And if you say you have court judgment, you serve the people concerned,” Nnaji stated.

Efforts to reach the other government officials named in the saga was not fruitful, as their mobile phones could not go through as at the time of filling this report.