Ownership of Emowhe Land: Premium Steel wins in Court, warns trespassers to obey eviction orders

Premium Steel and Mines Limited, the new owners of the former Delta Steel Company, Ovwian-Aladja has won a legal battle over the ownership of a 102.6 hectares of land at the Emowhe land covering part of the Igbiki area and other areas before the steel plant on the way to Aladja, just as the company has issued a stern warning to all tenants who failed to meet up their tenancy obligations to the company with respect to th company estates to obey the eviction orders from a court of competent jurisdiction and stay away from the company property.

In the suit, which was instituted in 2017 at the High Court of Justice sitting at Otor-Udu, headquarters of Udu Local Government Area of Delta State in suit Number OUHC/73/2017 by Messrs Dale Alfred, Majemite Akpokonan and others on behalf of the Emowhe family, the claimants argued that since Premium Steel and Mines Limited and the Asset Management Company of Nigeria, the defendants in the case, have not developed the said land as envisaged, the land should revert back to the families from whom the land was acquired by the Federal Government.

But Premium Steel and Mines Limited argued that all assets of the old DSC have been bought over by AMCON which in turn transfer ownership of those assets to Premium Steel and Mines Limited, making Premium Steels the new owners and that all transactions with respect to the said land must be done with the new owners.

On Tuesday January 19, 2022, the Court struck out the case of the claimants, emphasizing that the ownership of the said land rests with Premium Steel and Mines Limited. 

Meanwhile, lawyer to Premium Steel and Mines Limited, Barr Agbaje has warned that all trespassers on DSC or Premium Steel lands and property are wasting their time, stressing that though the wheel of Justice grind slowly and steadily, it must surely catch up with the offenders.

‘’Recall that we had earlier published a Caveat Emptor in the Urhobo Voice edition of March 16, 2016 warning that buyers of landed property in the said Emowhe land should beware because they may lose their investment in the long run. The Caveat was issued and signed by AMCON, warning land speculators etc to desist from any act of trespass and encroachment in the land to avoid being sued. The Caveat warned against patronizing those masquerading as owners of the land whereas in the actual sense, they are fraudsters, busybodies or trespassers. Their claims against Premium Steel have been struck out by the Court and the implication is that all that land measuring 102.6 hectares belong to Premium Steel and Mines Limited.

‘’We also wish to insist that the Steel Towns 2, 3, and 4 belong to Premium Steel and Mines Limited. These estates are under the management and control of PSML who are in firm possessions by reason of the acquisition of the assets of the old DSC. Recently, some tenants who have been residents in the estates where not paying their rents and or obligation to the landlords (PSML). Premium Steel went to Court and get an eviction orders to evict the said defaulting tenants from the Area Customary Court, sitting at Otor-Udu.     

‘’Initially we filed to pray the Court to compel the tenants to pay their rents. Failure on the part of the defendants to meet with the terms of the Court judgment which went in favour of PSML, the company had to file for an eviction order which was duly granted. But in the course of enforcement of the eviction orders, some hoodlums and cultists residing within the Steel Towns environment resisted the enforcement of the valid court orders.

‘’We want to warn that while it may take a little more time, at the appropriate time, contempt proceeding shall be instituted against them for their said actions’’, Barr Agbaje added.

The company warned that all tenants in the aforementioned housing estates should comply immediately or vacate those houses as no individual can fight the order of Court and go scot-free. The company warned further that those buying and building on the company property should beware as they shall face the full weight of the law soon.

Premium Steel also warned further that the deliberate encroachment into the company land close to Permanent Camp by some persons who pose as representatives of POWA and another by the Police Station in Steel Town 4 as well as other places where the company landed property are should realize that sooner than later they would discover that whatever building they erect is on quicksand. 

‘’To be forewarned is to be forearmed’’, Barr Agbaje added.

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