A young man in his mid thirties, Maxwell Okonkwor Ezechie has been brutalized by a Joint Team of the Delta State Police Command in conjunction with some staffers of Delta State Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development. Fresh Angle gathered from a reliable source at Asaba that trouble began when some persons from Ezechie family and Officers of the Police Command in concert with some staff of the Town Planning department of the Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development invaded the Ezechie family land in Akwakwa area of Okpanam, close to the Asaba International Airport. It was gathered that during the invasion, Maxwell Ezechie sustained injury in one of his eyes when a policeman allegedly hit him with his gun.
Reports say as soon as the policemen who came in 4 Hilux Vans concluded their invasion,they started shooting sporadically into the air to scare passersby.
A building under construction belonging to one Chimezie Ezechie, younger brother to Maxwell was demolished with a bulldozer during the invasion by Officials of the department of Town Planning. The officials alleged that they acted based on the approval of the Commissioner for Lands, Surveys and Urban Development, Mr.Patrick Ferife.
There are speculations that the disputed land has been allocated to the Vanguard Newspapers by Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan for the construction of a production plant.
Investigationreveals that there is a high court injunction on the land and there was never a time the land or building on it was marked for demolition.
As at press time, efforts made to get the police side of the story as well as that of the Commissioner for Lands, Surveys and Urban Development were unsuccessful as text messages sent to their mobile phones were not responded to. A top management staff of Vanguard Newspapers who does not want his name in print said“really Governor Uduaghan promised to allocate land to Vanguard Newspaper for a production plant in the Okpanam area, but it is not the Akwakwa area, of Ezechie family land,” even as he would not rule out the possibility of some corrupt officers of the Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development using such avenue to intimidate Mr. Maxwell Ezechie “in order to claim the land fortheir personal needs.”
Speaking to Our Correspondent on the demolition of his building, Mr. Chimezie Ezechie claimed the building has an approved plan and described the action of the ministry’s officials “as wickedness to humanity.”
While noting that his brother, Maxwell is already receiving treatment in anund is closed hospital, Chimezie alleged that the sum of N3.5m was given to some people from Ogbe-Owelle quarters, Okpanamto allow “them” claim the land/ building from the Ezechie family.
Meanwhile,a strong petition has been written by Mr. Maxwell Ezechie through his lawyer against the state police command and Ministry of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development for allegedly breaching his fundamental human rights.
Copyright: Fresh Angle International (www.freshangleng.com)
ISSN 2354 - 4104
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