Relinquish our land or face litigation, family dares Okowa administration

The family of Chukwuedo Igwenwanne of Umuojeagu Quarters in Issele-Azagba, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State has threatened to sue the Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa led administration of Delta State if it fails to relinquish parcels of land purportedly collected from them by force contrary to laid down procedure of the land use act.

Fresh Angle International gathered that the controversial parcel of lands measuring approximately 199, 516.39sq metres (about 19.952 hectres) is situated at Olinunu farmland along Asaba-Benin Expressway, Issele-Azagba and is bounded in the South by the Idumu-Isor family of Issele-Azagba and in the West by the land of Udemegwuna family.

Chukwuedo Igwenwanne in a statement made available to Your Soar-Away International Tabloid claimed that they are owners of the disputed parcels of land, describing it as late Pa. Gabriel Sunday Igwenwanne family land.

According to Igwenwanne, the family cultivated economic trees such as palm trees, cashews, guava, coconut, agbono trees, rubber trees, bamboos and even built hut on the lands in question before the Delta State Government swooped in.

Chukwuedo Igwenwanne averred that they have been farming on the land from time immemorial and are still on the land which he claimed was their only source of livelihood before the purported revocation of the rights of occupancy by Delta State Government.

The statement added that they were surprised to stumble on a publication where the Delta State Government allegedly published a notice of Revocation of Rights of Occupancy in respect of part of the land in dispute shown in the survey Plan No: BJ/DT/Q2/108/2013 prepared by Surveyor Osakwe .E. Ogochukwu, which the family relied on the Certified True Copy of the survey plan.

The family opined that Delta State Government did not strictly comply with the relevant provisions of the land use Act as to acquisition of land, because they did not serve a valid notice of revocation of the Igwenwanne family rights in respect of the land in dispute as required by section 44(a), (b) and (c) of the land use Act.

The family of Chukwuedo Igwenwanne maintained that the Delta State Government has not paid any compensation for the acquisition of the disputed land, stressing that by reason of the failure to pay such compensation, a condition precedent to the validity of the acquisition has not been complied with and efforts made to the Okowa administration to rescind the said revocation met a brick wall.

According to the family of Chukwuedo Igwenwanne, it became necessary to raise the alarm following the State government’s threat to continually deprive them of the use of their perceived land.

Delta State Commissioner for Lands, Surveys and Urban Development, Mr. Chuka Ossai in his reaction, stated that the Delta State Government did not acquire the land in Issele-Azagba unlawfully, saying the land was in dispute between two communities, Issele-Azagba and Ogwashi-Uku, hence the decision of the State Executive Council to take possession of the land  to enable peace reign.

In a revocation of Rights of Occupancy and payment of compensation in pursuance of section 28 of the land use act cap L5, LFN.2004 signed by the Governor of Delta State, Senator (Dr.) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, it was stated that notice was given on the rights of occupancy in respect of all the parcel of lands.

The survey description stated, “All that parcels along Asaba/Benin Express Road between Issele-Azagba in Aniocha North Local Government Area, Delta State of Nigeria and Azagba-Ogwashi-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of Delta State containing area of approximately 242.90 hectres have been revoked”.

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