By Ejiro Nesisa
The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, in Uvwie Local Government Area, Delta State, HRM, Emmanuel Sideso, Abe 1, JP. OON, said those who have bought land in Effurun must renegotiate their title or remove their property.
Uvwie Monarch stated this while addressing his people that staged what is called: “Appreciation Walk” on Wednesday morning following an Effurun High Court judgement early this week which declared the purported acquisition of parts of Ohore land by the Nigerian Army: the injustice and monumental trespass by the Nigerian Army that have robbed his people of farmlands and other resources resulting to rural and urban poverty: null and void.
According to Uvwie Monarch, that his people always maintain peace doesn’t mean, they were cowards as justice would always be achieved through the legal process just as he assured them that all Uvwie land would be recovered in due time from tres- passers.
Historically, the Royal Father said, the land was graciously given out to the army for public good, unfortunately, only about 40per cent was now being used by the army while a large portion of the land now being sold to property developers instead of returning the land to the original owners. And to add insult to injury, the army illegally encroached into about 400 hectares of the community land.
According to him, the land was acquired in 1975 by the Nigerian Army from the then Midwestern State Government in a letter with reference number: NAE/2801/26/1/G for construction of the present-day Effurun Barracks. Though the Land Use Act – which vests all land in the government that holds such land in trust for the people – was not yet promulgated at the time of acquisition, no compensation was paid to the families who owned the land as required by the law.
When the construction of the barracks was completed in 1979, a large portion of the land was unused and lying fallow for years. Rather than return the rest to the owners who depend on the land for survival, some serving and retired army generals became clever and started to sell the land to investors and speculators, and rent out the rest to small-time traders who can afford to own a shop in the Mammy Market.
The Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, HRM Emmanuel Ekemejewa Sideso, Abe 1, JP. OON, said his people conceded that much size of land to the army because the Federal Government made them believe it wanted to build the main campus of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) established in 1964 in Effurun.
His words:”
“We believed army education will bring development to the community. But since the military academy was eventually located in Kaduna, the government decided to use the acquired land for the building of army barracks now known as 3 Battalion Barracks, Effurun. The total portion of land acquired in 1975 was 4,640 acres.
The certificate of occupancy obtained by the army in February 1994 shows that the army later appropriated additional 436 acres. The extra, which puts the total land acquired at 5,076 acres, was taken without the approval of Uvwie people.
Now, the land is sold at the price beyond the reach of the original owners, the people of Uvwie kingdom. And this is the genesis of the land dispute crisis”.
Uvwie Monarch lampooned some Uvwie indigenes who cowardly started buying land from the army when they know that the case was in court, describing them as traitors and that such people would not get the privilege of re-buying the land and might lose their property.
HRM Emmanuel Sideso used the opportunity to thank Chief Victoria Otomiewo, a lawyer and an activist, Chief Festus Keyamo SAN, Minister of Aviation and the Delta State Government for their support.