Court Judgment: Landlords Raise Alarm Over Move To Demolish Buildings

A group under the aegis of Concerned Landlord Owners at Rumukpalukwuada Community, Ogbogoro in Obio/Akpor Local Government Areas of Rivers State have raised an alarm over an alleged move by the Paramount Ruler of Ogbogoro community, Chief Felix Amadi to demolish their buildings and properties situated in the area, following a recent Port Harcourt High Court judgement that authenticate him as the duly crowned Nye Nweali of Ogbogoro community.
The court presided over by Justice Adolphus Enebeli had in the judgment delivered in February this year, also affirmed Chief Felix Amadi and his family in a matter with Rumu Ehiosi family as the rightful owners of the five disputed lands adjudicated in the court where these concerned landlords had bought land and built their personal buildings .
Addressing journalists in port harcourt over the weekend on behalf of the group, the State Cordinator , International Human Rights protection Initiative ,comrade Ihua Azubuike John stated that the concerned landlord bought their land legitimately from different individuals who are from the Rumukpalukwuada community and that all the customary rights were duly paid to individual owners, ,adding that some of the landlords had built and lived there for over 10 years
Ihua accused the Ogbogoro paramount ruler of using thugs to demolish some of his clients’ buildings in the community immediately after the court ruling, adding that he acted out of the scope of the judgment.
“He used a group of boys suspected to be cultists and demolished some buildings at Rumukpalukwuda community on the claim that he was acting on court orders that empower him to do so”.
“But few days later, having realised the unconstitutional, illegal and consequence of this action, he denied ordering or aiding anyone to demolish buildings in the Rumukpalukwuada community that belongs to any members of the concerned landlord. We, having carefully perused through the court judgment, there was nowhere in the judgment that empowered Chief Felix and co to have, destroyed or take over the properties of the concerned landlord owners,” he stated.
The international human rights initiative coordinator alleged that Chief Felix Amadi and co have continued to mark all the remaining building within the community for demolition and threatens to kill anyone who intends to resist their actions.
“As instructed, we demand that chief Felix Amadi should stop further demolition of concerned landlord properties and further invasion of properties that are yet to be developed and also stop further threat to lives and properties of concerned landlords because it is not a crime to buy land and develop same in another man’s community and we are not party to two brothers in their quarrel, he should allow us peace “he added
The human right advocate used the opportunity to call on the state commissioner of police and other security agencies to come, to the aid of the concerned landlords at so as to save them from those who make criminality their enterprise.
However, when contacted, the Paramount Ruler of Ogbogoro Community, Chief Felix Amadi dismissed the allegations, saying that he never used any boys but duly assigned police officers to effect court judgment in the affected communities’.
Amadi also denied demolishing any building but was quick to accept that what the police officers did was to demolish new fences that were erected after the court judgment, adding that the acclaimed concerned landlords group are those who don’t want to abide by the court decision,” as we speak over 100 persons have regularised their properties with me”.

By: Akujobi Amadi