By Izunna Okafor, Awka
The Anambra State Government has refuted the viral video and media reports currently trending on social media accusing the government officials of demolishing property of the Nigeria Television Authority (NTA) at the Trans-Nkisi Area of Onitsha.
It would be recalled that the media space was recently awash with a video alleging that the Anambra State Joint Taskforce Team, led by the Anambra State Physical Planning Board (ANSPPB) invaded the premises of the NTA and demolished some property belonging to the Station.
The video also claimed that members of the Taskforce Team also damaged the NTA camera during the exercise, seized many phones of people trying to video them, and also brutalized some journalists, including the General Manager of NTA Onitsha, Violet Nnadi, who, in the video, said the land on which the demolished structures were erected belonged to NTA, and that they were not given any pre-demolition notice or warning.
However, reacting to the video and allegations, the Managing Director of the Anambra State Physical Planning Board, Barr. Chike Mmaduekwe, dismissed same as fabricated falsehoods irresponsibly concocted to mislead the public and blackmail the government.
Barr. Mmaduekwe, in an interview with this reporter, Izunna Okafor, on Wednesday, clarified that the structures demolished were not official NTA property but illegal shanties erected on government-owned land and along the roads, adding that the unauthorized structures included both rental and residential shanties, with a (substandard toilet) pit latrine — building by the road side.
“Does NTA build shanties? Is it part of their primary responsibility? Does NTA rent out shanties? Who authorized her to build and collect rent? Is she ignorant of the law? And do they not know that ignorance of the law is no excuse?” he questioned.
Continuing, he emphasized thus: “The law of Anambra State is clear—anyone who wants to build, including government agencies, must seek approval from the Physical Planning Board. This is not a new policy, and it applies to everyone without exception.”
Barr. Mmaduekwe, who said he was personally present at the site, also dismissed as sheer dishonesty, the claim by the NTA Manager that no pre-demolition notice or warning was given before the exercise.
According to him, several notices and warnings had been issued since three years ago for the removal of the illegal structures, including as recently as last week, which, he said, were all ignored.
“Notices were issued repeatedly—not once, not twice, but several times over the years, including as recently as last week,” he confirmed, sharing a video that shows inscription of “REMOVE” warning and other markings on the shanties, which were said to been marked since 2023.
Also dismissing the allegations of brutality, Barr. Mmaduekwe accused the NTA General Manager, Nnadi, of deliberately creating a scene during the demolition exercise, in order to obstruct lawful government action. He further described the brutality claims as nothing but a “deliberate act of deception and cheap propaganda.”
His words: “Nobody manhandled her or anybody, and no camera was damaged, as she claimed. That is a blatant lie. Maybe she brought and placed their camera on the ground to claim that we damaged their camera.
“Apart from the fact that she was not manhandled, it was even her provocative conduct that nearly escalated the situation. If you see how she was shouting and reacting. As a matter of fact, if not that I was there, the security personnel would have dealt with her for her conduct. She physically grabbed a uniformed officer—who does that?
“I was the one who personally told them, ‘Leave her! Don’t touch her!’ And maybe she went behind and tore her own dress to fuel the false narrative by claiming that she was beaten.”
Speaking further, Barr. Mmaduekwe warned that the state government would not tolerate lawlessness and any form of manipulation, adding that all remaining illegal structures in the area would be removed in the coming days.
“Between now and next week, all those shanties will go down… The land in Trans-Nkisi is government estate, and development must continue. A boulevard is being constructed in front of that place, and nothing will stop it,” he declared, reiterating the government’s commitment to upholding development policies and enforcing the law.
“Governor Chukwuma Soludo’s administration is a government that upholds the rule of law. So, this is not a lawless state!” he declared.
“The rules are clear, and everyone must abide by them. If you want to build and fail to come for approval from the Physical Planning Board, the law will take its course—whether you are a private individual, a corporate body, or even a government agency. That is the standard, and we will not compromise,” he concluded.
