… As Commissioner Bombards Ibori, Uduaghan
Alleged to be in the habit of forcefully and unlawfully grabbing people’s properties and lands in Asaba and environs, Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi, the Senator representing Delta North in the hollowed Chambers of the National Assembly (NASS) has been slammed with a lawsuit for breaking and taking over a parcel of land belonging to Davnotch International Company, owned by the former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly (DTHA), Rt. Hon. Victor Ochei.
Loading ...Also grabbed is a land belonging to the former Chief of Defence Staff, Mr. Alexander Ogomudia, who has also instituted a court action against the lawmaker at the Asaba High Court.
It was gathered that upon getting wind of the litigations, Mr. Nwaoboshi, who has been widely adjudged as a cut and nail lawyer without C of O and other relevant documents covering the land measuring 4019.440 square meters, hurriedly went and forged land documents with the assistance of the state Commissioner of Lands, Surveys and Urban Development, Chief Dan Okenyi, who is said to be giving him full support.
A petition addressed to the Delta State Commissioner of Police, signed by counsel to Davnotch Company, Olusola Rhiogbere Esq, disclosed that in May, this year, some persons acting under the instructions of Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi, forcefully damaged and unlawfully broke into the company’s land and began building.
The petitioner however appealed to the commissioner of police to tame what he described as “ugly tide” which is a clear threat to the public peace and bring the culprits and his cohorts to book.
It was reliably learnt that the controversial Nwaoboshi has told workers at the site stated that Mr. Nwaoboshi has given them assurances to carry on with their work without any fear and that nobody can dare challenge him on the land.
“He is always boasting that he will use the instrumentality of the state with the backing of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa to grab as many lands as he wishes and nobody will do him anything. He also said that because he got the backing of the state government and the Lands Commissioner, hence he has commenced work on the land in question. The truth is that we have come to find out that Oga Senator doesn’t have the C of O of the land but only using powers and government support to do what he is doing. Well, our own is to work we don’t have issue with anyone,” the worker said.
A document in the Ministry of Lands, indicates that the Davnotch company land is situated at plot 37, core area, central spine, phase IV, Asaba and covered by certificate of occupancy No. DTSR 14767 issued since 2010, approved by the then state governor, signed by then commissioner of lands, Raymos Guanah Esq on behalf of the governor and registered as No. 47 at the page 47 in volume Co 186 of the office of the lands registry in Asaba.
An impeccable top government official at the ministry, who is not happy with the way things are been done in the ministry, confided in our correspondent that DavNoctch company followed all the due process, paid all necessary fees before all necessary documents covering the land as well as certificate of occupancy were issued to the company, adding that what is currently happening in the ministry, where politicians and people close to the current state government are now going about grabbing lands already allocated with C of O, is strange.
“If you meet the commissioner, he will tell you that the past administration of former governors James Ibori and Emmanuel Uduaghan did a lot of sharp practices in the allocation of lands. That the current administration of Mr. Ifeanyi Okowa on assumption of office discovered some fraudulent things done in land allocation by the past administration and has decided to correct same,” the official said.
An aide to the Lands and Surveys Commissioner, who refused to mention his name because he was not permitted to speak on behalf of his boss, exonerated his boss of any wrong doing, stressing that when his boss came into office, it was discovered that Ibori and Uduaghan’s administrations carried out series of land racketeering deals as well as double and triple allocation of lands to people.
“My boss has vowed to carry out the cleansing of the whole system and that is what he is already doing so anyone accusing him of any wrong doing is an enemy of the state. The ministry is currently investigating all cases of the fraudulent act and anyone found guilty will surely face the law and the governor is fully backing my boss on this because the corruption was too massive,” the aide opined.
In a response letter seen by our correspondent to enquiries of the commissioner of police concerning the land, the Commissioner of Lands, Survey and Urban Development, Okenyi, informed the Commissioner of Police that the land in question was allocated to PON Specialized Services, owned by Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi.
The commissioner however accused the past administrations of fraudulent practices including double allocation of lands until the present administration of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa took over and is trying to sensitise the whole system.
Meanwhile, a Delta state High Court sitting in Asaba, presided over by Justice F.N Azinge, in the case instituted against Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi by DavNotch Company with suit No A/104/2016, had last month issued an order restraining Mr. Peter Nwaoboshi from carrying out any further work on the site pending the hearing and determination of the case.
But despite this court order, Mr. Nwaoboshi’s workers were seen carrying out different works at the disputed site when our reporter visited the site on Tuesday.
It would be recall that the duo contested for the senate in the 2015 general election, while the land grabber contested on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the other took the ticket on the platform of Accord Party (AP).
