•Accuse police of aiding land grabbing
By Emma Sunday
Landlords at the Cedarwood Garden Estate, SARS Road in Rumuagholu, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers State, have sent a ‘Save Our Soul’ (SOS) message to the Nigerian Senate and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), seeking their urgent intervention over moves by one Mr. Stephen Nyegwa, to demolish their properties with support of some police officers.
The Landlords of Cenamon and Iroko Drives in the Estate while briefing journalists at the area, as a way of protest, also called on to the Rivers State Government, and the State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju to intervene.
They accused Mr. Stephen Nyegwa of allegedly trying to forcefully throw them out of their homes, take over their properties and demolish their houses with cover of armed Police officers.
The landlords also accused the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Special Area Rumudomaya, also known as Rumuokoro Police Division, of allegedly colluding with Mr Nyegwa, whom they described as “Notorious Land grabber” to seize their properties, by providing him armed police teams to excavate and demolish private properties without any valid court order.
Speaking on behalf of the property owners, Mr. Chinedu Igweze, told journalists that Nyegwa and police officers have been invading the estate for days under the pretext of enforcing a court judgment that does not exist.
Mr. Igweze said, “One of our landlords tried to enquire from them the reason of invasion of the estate and excavation of people’s land with intent to take over the property and many others. The landlord was arrested and taken to Rumuokoro Police station.
“The DPO checked the said court papers; there was no judgment whatsoever declaring Nyegwa as the owner of the properties. Surprisingly, we came back to the estate and saw Mr. Nyegwa with detachment of Police officers from Rumuokoro Police Division still excavating people’s land and taking over people’s property.”
Another resident, Mrs. Rita Ibifaka, lamented that she had lived peacefully in the estate for years until the sudden threat.
She said, “They (land grabbers) gave us seven days to quit our properties after marking it for demolition.
“I am calling on the Rivers State Government and the leadership of Obio/Akpor LGA to come to our aide,” she pleaded.
Another landlord and Legal Adviser to the Cedarwood Garden Estate, Barrister Gbenga Austin Oladapo, accused the DPO of turning his officers into “police bailiffs” acting on behalf of the alleged land grabber.
According to him, the officers have been “facilitating inscriptions of fraudulent demolition orders on people’s property without a valid court judgment.”
Barrister Oladapo urged the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun to immediately redeploy the Rumuokoro DPO, warning that the harassment has taken a toll on some residents.
He said, “Some landlords have been admitted in hospital due to development of high blood pressure.”
Petitions obtained by our correspondent, addressed to the Inspector-General of Police, and copied to the Police Service Commission, Rivers State Commissioner of Police, and the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, accused the DPO of aiding and abetting the alleged land grabber’s actions.
When contacted, Mr. Stephen Nyegwa denied being a land grabber, insisting that all the properties marked for demolition are sited on his family land and that they rightfully belong to him in the absence of his late father.
Mr. Nyegwa said, “I am a good citizen of Obio/Akpor LGA. The land is a family land which belonged to our forefathers precisely Aker.
“The land was a subject of litigation between my father HRH Samuel Kinikawo and his cousin Apostle. Apostle won the case against my father at High court. Not satisfied with the judgment, my father proceeded to Appeal Court where the justices of Appeal Court set aside the judgment of the High court and ordered the Chief Judge to re-assign the case to another High Court in Rivers State.”
He claimed that while the case was ongoing, Apostle sold portions of the disputed land, ignoring warnings that it was under litigation.
Nyegwa who alleged that “Apostle has sold 95 percent of the family land, said the ones I am taking charge of in the estate is just five percent that belongs to my late father and by inheritance from him.”
He exonerated the DPO, saying “the Police seen with him is not for evil but Police officers attached to his registered estate company.”
In her reaction, the Rivers State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, SP Grace Iringe-Koko said the Rumuokoro DPO was not fraternizing with Mr Stephen Nyegwa to forcefully dispossess the landlords of their properties.
She explained that the DPO deployed operatives of the division to the estate to maintain orderliness, following a distress call to his office from residents on the situation in the estate. She said the DPO after learning that the case was a civil matter however, sued for peace and advised parties involved to settle amicably and maintain law and order.
