Agony in Akwa Ibom: Over 50 Families Displaced by Unyielding Government Demolitions

 

Christmas 2024 was uneventful for the residents of Ifa Ikot Okpon in Akwa Ibom State's Uyo local government area because many of them were suddenly left homeless when the state government demolished buildings.

The exercise affected over 100 homes, 182 persons, and 52 families; other buildings have been designated for demolition.

While individuals whose homes were designated for demolition are living in fear of the disaster that will strike them in the near future, a visit by a DAILY POST writer to the community revealed the area to be in ruins and desolation.

Kokoete Sunday Edah, a pastor of the Living Faith Church and a victim of the destruction, described his experience of having his church and home demolished without warning or payment.

"My name is Kokoete Sunday Edah," he continued. I was born and raised in Oron, Akwa Ibom State. I have resided here with my family for the past 20 years after buying this land from an Ifa Ikot Okpon native.

Prior to the construction of the ring road and its dualization by succeeding regimes, particularly Udom Emmanuel, this area was like a bush.
"I have lived in this community without any issues. However, some individuals entered my complex in October 2024 and informed me that the government intended to seize the property.

"I didn't build on government property, they said."

Edah claimed that after valuing his property, the government representatives departed with the promise that he would receive fair compensation and enough notice to find another place to live and vacate his assets.
He revealed that, much to his dismay, on December 19, while he was leaving his house to get something, a neighbor called to tell him to return home because some individuals were tearing down his building.

"Unfortunately, I went out on December 19th, but I didn't go very far. I received a phone stating that a machine was demolishing land near my house, and when I returned, I discovered that they were demolishing my property.

"My kids were weeping inside, and I was perplexed. I glanced up and asked God, where are you? Are you still the God we worship?
When I called the Director of Lands to ask what had happened, he told me, "Pastor, it wasn't our fault; I followed instructions to demolish first, and then we'll pay."

"I was furious at the answer. Everything I owned was gone, and I had no chance to go inside and remove a pin. It was a very depressing circumstance.

In addition to my building being gone, I also lost my credentials, clothing, television, and personal items.
"I've been left homeless, my family doesn't have a place to stay, there is a lot of hunger, and I'm really frustrated! Koboless! I'm frustrated! The administration that we elected? With tears in his eyes, Pastor Edah recounted, "Perhaps the government will wait until we go to the dustbin to pick food and eat."

In addition to the clergy, more than fifty victims who assembled at Ifa village hall had similar stories of how their buildings were identified in October 2024, how their properties were assessed, and how they were guaranteed sufficient compensation and a timeline for property evacuation.

Nevertheless, their properties were razed without prior notice, and the state government ultimately failed to provide the compensation.
The side of Ifa that was demolished was not part of the government-acquired land, according to the Uyo master plan presented by the former governor, architect Obong Victor Attah. Mr. Charles Bassey, a retired journalist from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, or FRCN, claimed to have used his lifesaving skills to erect a structure. He questioned why the state government would decide to remove them in this way in order to use the property for judges' estate.

"I built that house using all of my life savings and loans from IPPIS."

"I inquired as to why my house was designated for demolition when I received a call about it.

I was informed that judges' estates were supposed to be housed there.
According to the Uyo master plan, the destroyed side of Ifa was not a part of the land that the government had purchased. "I conducted my research," he stated.

Anthony Thomas Ekot, a 75-year-old landlord who claimed to have lived in the neighborhood for more than 30 years without experiencing any issues, questioned how he would assemble the funds necessary to construct a home in his later years.

"I spoke with the village chief of this community before purchasing the land, and he gave his approval.

"I'm not sure how I'll get paid for this. The house has three separate bedrooms, a large storage, and a twin flat with three bedrooms. The eight packages of zinc I purchased now cost N500,000 apiece.
"I'm 75 years old now. Since I could pass away at any time, how can I raise the funds to construct a new home for my family? In tears, the Septuagenarian asked.

These victims lost out, though, as scavengers, also known as "Iron Condemn," and neighborhood boys took advantage of the window to go on a looting rampage.


According to the DAILY POST, several of them brought in tricycles, trucks, wheelbarrows, irons, and any other property that was stuck in the debris.

Anyone who dared to stop them from their evil deeds was likewise maimed.
Charles Bassey, who claimed to have been in Delta State on the day of the event, said, "My wife wanted to go and save some things, so one of the soldiers leading the exercise tear-gassed her and attacked her."

The street urchins, neighborhood boys who were robbing the remaining properties, also attacked her when they eventually departed. For this reason, you won't notice any wood, iron, or even nails when you visit the location. After parking and putting keke, they will depart.

In the meantime, there is a contention that the victims' homes had to be constructed on land that the government had purchased.
During the December 2024 Inter Ministerial briefing, Captain Iniobong Ekong (Rtd), the immediate past Commissioner for Lands and Town Planning, stated that his ministry had reclaimed land from unauthorized developers who had encroached on government property.

Governor Umo Eno removed him and the other commissioners of their positions a few days earlier, thus the former commissioner, who did not specify the lands that the state government had acquired, could not be contacted prior to completing the report.

Ifa village chief maintains that the state government did not purchase the land in question.

Speaking with the Village Head of Ifa Ikot Okpon Etteidung Uwem Tom Udo, he said the Akwa Ibom state government has never acquired land from the community as there was no record in the Ministry of Lands to prove it.

Udo disclosed that owners of the demolished buildings were shocked when a bulldozer brought by the Ministry of Lands with security operatives invaded their community on 19 December last year and demolished houses with household property inside.

He said the community cannot stop the government from acquiring land for overriding public interest but wondered why the government took such an approach against the people.

He insisted that the state government would have followed appropriate process and informed building owners of the intended demolition even in the event that there existed such a record of land acquisition.

The government is known to seize land when it serves the public interest more than anything else.

However, what is the public interest in this instance? 182 families are currently homeless as a result of their homes being demolished," he bemoaned.
He asked the state government of Akwa Ibom to provide any documentation proving the acquisition of the community land.

"We met five times with the previous land commissioners in the state, including the state governor when he served as the Commissioner for Land," he said.

"We requested that they provide us with records of the land being seized by the government and proof that the landowners had been compensated, but they failed to do so.

"During one of our meetings when Umo Eno was the Commissioner for Lands, I knelt down and pleaded with him that the government to give the land to the owners. He assured me that the government had left the land.
"Gov. Umo Eno is no longer accessible to me. I would have brought up the incident in his workplace.

Through this channel, I am now begging him to come save us from the overzealous bureaucrats who have left our people without a place to live.

"He is a kind governor and a man of God, so I am positive he is unaware of the situation."

Additionally, he expressed hope that Governor Eno will address their concerns and urged the populace to uphold decorum and refrain from enforcing laws themselves.
Victims sue the government and demand compensation.

The community has, in the meantime, taken the state government and its representatives to court, demanding N600 million in compensation for the lands that were seized from them. The community has also asked the court to force the government to negotiate through the state Estate Valuers in order to pay for the buildings that were demolished.

The community sought relief regarding the land and buildings demolished in a suit number HC 1/11/451/0514 between Etteidung Uwem Tom Udo, Etteidung Edet Effiong Udodong, Etteidung Ime Effiong Akpan, and four others vs. Hon. Commissioner for Lands and Town Planning, Attorney General, and Commissioner for Justice, the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, and the Government of Akwa Ibom State as defendants.
The community asked the court to: "Declare that the parcel of land situated at Ifa Ikot Okpon Community in Etoi clan of Uyo local government area, known traditionally as Akai Itiat Nwomo Anyiam stretching to Edem Eko Umana, has not been acquired and is not the subject of any compulsory acquisition by the defendants," according to the court summons that was made available to journalists in Uyo.

Additional prayers include: "a declaration that the defendants cannot take over the claimants' land or demolish their properties on the land known as Akai Nwomo Anyiam stretching to Edem Eko Umana situated at Ifa Ikot Okpon Community without complying with the law regulating the compulsory acquisition of property in Nigeria as provided and N600m damages for the unlawful encroachment, trespass, take over, destruction of property, and farmlands on the land."

The case will be heard in the interim on February 11, 2025.