Mrs. Ngozi Dede, along with numerous residents of Nchatancha Nike community in Enugu State, has suffered significant losses as properties worth billions of naira were destroyed by the state government under Governor Peter Mbah’s leadership.
The demolition spree, initiated by the Enugu State government, primarily targets houses and businesses of residents, many of whom had invested in real estate in the area. This move comes as part of a broader effort to address security concerns, with the government labeling demolished properties as alleged kidnappers’ dens.
Recent reports by SaharaReporters detailed the demolition of over 200 houses, including high-value hotels, in Obeagu Awkunanaw and Amechi Awkunanaw. However, residents refute these claims, denouncing them as excuses to justify the demolition.
Despite widespread opposition, the government persists in its demolition campaign, targeting properties, businesses, and residential houses in the Nchatancha Nike community. Many affected residents had acquired or built their properties during the tenure of former Governor Sullivan Chime.
Mrs. Dede, a native of Enugu married to someone from Abia State, is among those heavily impacted. Her poultry and fish farm, housing 18,000 birds and 5,000 fish, was razed to the ground, resulting in the loss of her livelihood and employment for dozens of individuals. Shockingly, she received no eviction notice, and her property was not marked for demolition.
In an interview with SaharaReporters, Mrs. Dede, currently attending to her ailing husband in a private hospital, expressed dismay at the government’s actions. She criticized the destruction of her multi-million-naira investment, particularly by an administration that had previously encouraged investors to venture into Enugu.
Mrs. Dede highlighted the lack of prior notice from the government, emphasizing the devastating impact on her business and the livelihoods it supported. The demolition stands as a stark contradiction to the government’s rhetoric of fostering investment and economic growth in the state.
The depressed Mrs Dede narrated: “I learnt that they (the government) are demolishing some places. Nobody told me that my farm was marked, even the people working here said that the farm was not marked or issued eviction notices. I acquired and built this farm legally. I pay taxes in millions to the government.
“My workers and other neighbours showed me an area that was marked with even beacons. All of a sudden, I was called that one man, a commissioner came and said that my farm should be included. My workers were shouting that this area was not marked but the bulldozer went in and started demolishing the farm. No notice to vacate was issued. So as they were demolishing, I came in and I saw them and I tried to stop them. I pleaded that they should give me one day to pack the birds but they refused and demolished everything.
“I have 10,000 hens laying eggs. I collect 300 crates of eggs every day from this farm. I have 6,000 pullets that I bought that are about three to four months old; I have 2,000 broilers that I was supposed to sell this Easter, 5,000 grown-up fish ponds and 2,000 fingerlings all of which were damaged. I felt so bad that such a thing could be happening in Nigeria today. The government is there for the people and not the other way around.”
“I know when development is coming in you tell people, you give notice. People like me did not collect any notice, I didn’t even know that they were doing anything. I have not been around and I have been calling my farm and I heard that they are working at St David Road. I didn’t know they had included this on my farm,” she lamented.
She said, “I bought the land in 2017 and completed the farm in September 2017. Meanwhile, they did not mark here. When you go to the front, you will see where they put beacons and red ribbons. Even yesterday while I was here, I met some people, I even saw the chairman of Capital Territory and told him that I heard that my farm was not marked and no eviction notice was issued to my farm, then why the demolition, he told me “Madam, it is from the authority”.
“Even a woman that is working for me with the husband, she was sleeping with her baby at the boys’ quarter when they started the demolition. She didn’t know that anything was happening. It was the people who were shouting before she came out with her baby otherwise they would have killed the woman and the baby in their shared wickedness. So I’m so surprised to see this kind of wickedness because they didn’t give me any notice. If they had given me notice at least I would have saved the lives of the birds if not for any other thing.”
She described the demolition as very bad, adding “We all know about development, if the government comes and says it needs an area, they should give people notice and give time. When the people do not comply, you can go ahead and do whatever you want to do. Everybody in Nigeria knows the hardship in the country. I am just controlling myself; I couldn’t even sleep last night. I am just controlling my temper, I don’t even know what to say.”
Regarding the value of what she lost, she said, “Like now when you have a day old chicken, ask anybody, it is N950 let alone the birds that are laying eggs for a year now. I can’t even quantify the millions of naira I lost here off-hand because having 10,000 birds, anybody that is in the farming business will tell you how much. Just two weeks ago, I made feeds here that cost N3 million, just for my layers, not even for the broilers. The new pullets I bought at N600 each, and I had 6,000 of them. I have been feeding them for three months now. I can’t even quantify what I lost here.”
Mr. Oha Uchenna Samson, recounting the harrowing experience, revealed that his property suffered severe damage, putting his wife and two-month-old baby at risk of death. His wife narrowly escaped tragedy as she was asleep when the bulldozer initiated the demolition.
According to Reporters, the extensive property, which includes a piggery, underwent significant destruction, with no consideration for the safety of occupants.
“There’s nothing like notice, they dragged my wife with our newborn baby out of my house and demolished everything, including the baby’s belongings. My house was built in 2013 and the government did not give me any eviction notice. I am not opposing any development but I think there’s a process to take over somebody’s property.
“I have a property that they marked for demolition and I religiously picked my things out of the property. Governor Peter Mbah ruined my life and that of my entire family with the innocent baby that was born barely two months ago because I am not from Enugu State.
“Where do I start from? This is the height of evil. My house was not marked for demolition, and there was no eviction notice why would the state government led by the commissioner for lands order the demolition of the house while the family was inside, my piggery with 45 grown-up pigs killed?
“I was busy helping people pack out their things in the areas where the government marked when I was called to come that they were demolishing by house. My wife with the new baby knelt begging at least to remove our things but the Commissioner and Director of Capital Territory used police and soldiers to push them down. They demolished the house with all our properties, including the baby’s wears. Nothing, I mean nothing was removed from the house. They captured the people they marked their property for demolition but I was not.”
Asked when he bought the land, he said, “I bought this land in January 2012 and developed in 2013 and now they have demolished everything including my farm, and killed over 45 pigs. There’s no information, our houses were not marked and we were not issued an eviction notice. The government has put beacons in the areas it said it had acquired from the community why then demolish my house? This is injustice.
“Nobody carries land around. I bought the land from the family that owns it legitimately. This place is not part of what the government acquired from the community. If you want to take over my property, why not notify me? Where do you want me to go with my children and newborn baby? I know I have no power of my own but there’s God. If what they have done is good, let those who authorised it go free but if there’s an injustice, let God who sees everything reward them according to their deeds.”
Meanwhile, the state government on February 19 claimed that no house was demolished, blaming “land grabbers for creating problems.”
