By Boluwatife Adedokun
Over 100 buildings have been demolished in Irhirihi Arougba, Obazagbon and Ogheghe communities in Benin following the reclamation of land.
The reclamation of land has also led to disagreement between All Progressives Congress, APC and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in Edo State.
In a statement on Monday, APC Chairman, Col. David Imuse (retd.), explained that the state government is pretending to be building new town just to take charge of the area.
Also, the party blamed the government that the area had been acquired by the government known as Ogba Forest Reserve, challenging the government’s decision to issue Certificate of Occupancy to original buyers.
He said, “As a party, we condemn in strong terms these illegal demolitions by the jittery and rudderless PDP-led administration in the state. We see this policy of regularly demolishing public and private properties by the Obaseki-led government as irrational, evil and undemocratic.
“Before this land was forcefully acquired by the same government in 2017, it was the world-renowned Ogba River Forest Reserve, which successive governments before Obaseki used for reforestation purposes.”
The Special Adviser of Edo State Governor on Media Projects, Crusoe Osagie abused APC state chapter for criticizing the government’s determination to stop land-grabbing in the state.
Speaking further, Osagie disclosed that APC members and their leaders are afraid because they are the criminal in the illegal enterprise, stating that they are scared not to be caught red-handed as the exercise continues.
Osagie said, “The APC in the state is jittery over the determination of Governor Obaseki to end land-grabbing in Edo, because they are the land-grabbers.
“The party and its leaders are throwing tantrums today over the repossession exercise in Irhirhi-Obazagbon-Ogheghe Road because while they held office, the APC and its chieftains promoted the appropriation of community land with the use of non-state actors and overlords, who in the run-up to the Edo State governorship election in 2020 were popularly known as lions and tigers.
“Obaseki parted ways with the APC, chiefly due to such ideological differences.”
