MRS
Jegede’s pregnancy was in an advanced stage. She had hoped to have a
safe delivery right in her husband’s newly completed house at Ifiekporo.
Lamentations of varying decibel tore through her quiet vicinity, rudely
waking her up on June 4. She observed the chaos through her window. The
bulldozers’ ruthless frenzy met with the residents’ wailing. The scene
was a tragic commotion.
She
pleaded for mercy but she got none. She could only lay her hands on
some electronics but fleeing for her life. But her immediate neighbours
were not lucky; they only came back to meet the debris.
‘My house was not marked for demolition’For
72-year-old Pa David Ebido, a retired marine engineer and a victim of
the exercise, nothing could have been crueler. Without betraying any
emotion, the septuagenarian told Sunday Tribune that his house was “a
big size three-bedroom flat. I retired from marine engineering in 2005. I
no longer have a job. But not to be absolutely idle, I stationed a
caravan in front of my house where I rent out wheelbarrows, shovels,
spades and sometimes make and sell cement blocks to feed myself and one
of my little children living with me.
“I
spent everything I had in erecting the building for myself and
children. But I could only escape with some of my belongings when hell
was let loose on June 4. My house was not marked for demolition when
they came calling two years ago to mark houses built on the Royal
Cemetery. The marked houses are far from mine,” he lamented.
Other
victims of the exercise include Abiloye Erikorevwe, a businessman; Alex
Iwere, an offshore worker; John Akperi, also an offshore worker; Paul
Ireyeforju, a lecturer; Labod; Gbesimi Oma; Alex Uwatse, among others.
‘The land is the cemetery to dead traditional rulers’The
land, in which these structures were erected, was said to be a royal
cemetery, where past traditional rulers of Itsekiri, beginning from the
progenitor, Obama Ginuwa 1, numbering 18 were serially buried. The
cemetery is a seemingly endless expanse of land, often dreaded, in the
distant past.
An
elder of Ifiekporo, Sunny Nikoro, availed this reporter some facts
available at the grove, which he said he could still recollect.
Popularly called Dav Dav, the cemetery was said to hold the tombs of
past Itsekiri monarchs, thus making it a revered locale among the
people.
According
to him, every son and daughter of Itsekiri is aware that the grove is
sacred and royal exclusively reserved for demised royal fathers of the
land. Consequently, he blamed the buyers of the pieces of land on which
buildings were erected for desecrating the tombs of their ancestors.
The
victims, however, had a different view. They claimed the portion of the
expanse of land where they bought and built their houses had been
mapped out by about four Itsekiri chiefs, who came in the past on the
heels of a rumour that got to the present Olu of Warri that the royal
cemetery had been encroached. It was gathered that the four chiefs
allegedly sent by Atuwatse II mapped out 25 acres for the Royal Cemetery
and left the rest of the land to Ifiekporo and Jala communities.
Mr
Uwatse, whose bungalow was also demolished, stated that truly, some
elements had erected building foundations close to the cemetery which
the state government had said it would demolish.
“It
took all of us unawares. We were told they were coming for those
foundations close to the cemetery and not building that were close to
the road. I just completed my house and was planning to move in when
they came to demolish it; I spent a lot of money on it. We are all
citizens; they are frustrating us,” he said.
One
of the leaders of Ifiekporo community, Chief David Eyifoma, confirmed
that the government did not inform the victims nor the community
leadership before the demolition was embarked on. He said they were only
told that they were going to remove building extensions obstructing
free-flow of traffic on major roads.
“They
did not inform us that they were coming to destroy people›s houses. But
we heard on radio that they were coming to destroy illegal structures.
The buildings demolished were not illegal structures because they bought
it from the community executives. The sale of the land may be a mix up,
but the youth leader sold the lands to the victims,” Eyifoma stated.
Speaking
on who had power over the cemetery, he added that the office of the
Olu of Warri is directly in charge of the cemetery, saying, however,
that he did not know where the order of the demolition emanated from.
None of them obtained certificate of occupancy —Commissioner of EnvironmentMeanwhile,
the Commissioner of Environment and chairman of the Sanitation Task
Force, Frank Omare, while responding to the alleged callous demolition
exercise at Ifiekporo, said the entire Royal Cemetery belonged to the
state government. He said none of the owners of the demolished buildings
could claim to have a C of O duly obtained from the Ministry of Land
and Survey for their building.
“People,
who built on government land at Ifiekporo built on nothing, because the
government owns the land. The people should always go to the Ministry
of Land and Survey to obtain their C of O to back up their claim,” he
said.
He added that the land was acquired by the government during the era of the then Bendel State and well gazetted.
He
said there would be no compensation for the demolition of any illegal
structure, saying “you can’t trespass on government’s land and go free. I
led the team there and I take full responsibility for the demolition.”
However,
victims of the exercise who spoke to Sunday Tribune showed their papers
covering the purchase and authority to build on the parcels of land.
Rights activist flay government The
executive director of Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged
(CENTREP), Ogenejabor Ikimi, frowned at the alleged violation of due
process by Omare, saying it was an arrogant display of barbarism and “a
naked show of executive rascality.”
Ikimi,
who claimed the victims were not privy to the state government’s
intention before the exercise, affirmed that over 200 families had been
rendered homeless in the name of securing a burial site for Itsekiri
traditional rulers.
“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 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?
“We
like to 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),” he argued.
A
drama ensued between two Hausa scavengers who threw caution to the
wind, fighting over aluminum they exhumed from one of the houses. Some
of the houses were collapsed upon all items available in them.
Although
unconfirmed, it was gathered that no fewer than two victims had died
from high blood pressure after the demolition of their lifetime
investment while another was on danger list at an undisclosed hospital
in Warri.
Mr
Jegede, who spoke with this reporter at the site of his demolished
building, described the act as “wicked because when you want to do a
thing like that, it is not proper to give a verbal notice alone; this is
a building we are talking about for God’s sake. For your information,
two people have died because of this situation.”
Governor
Emmanuel Uduaghan had admitted few weeks ago in Asaba while addressing
journalists from the state that his government had, undoubtedly, failed
the masses in the area of housing. Expressing his inability to erect a
single block for his numerous civil servants, the governor only hoped
that his successor would embark on projects in that area, since no
single government could execute all projects.
Two
of the victims, Pa Ebido and Mr Jegede expressed great disappointment
over rendering them homeless. “The government’s action is wrong. I
advise them to save me from the embarrassment of squatting in a boys
quarter belonging to my neighbour as well as the hardship associated
with old age,” the 72-year-old marine engineer said
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