NPF Grabs Ex- Anambra Commissioner’s Land; Victim Threatens Court Action

FROM OUR GUEST CORRESPONDENT (ONITSHA)

A widow and one-time Commissioner for Works, Transport and Housing in Anambra State during the administration of Chief Chukwuemeka Ezeife, (Okwadike), Chief (Mrs ) Chika Ibeneme, weekend cried out to high heavens over alleged police encroachment on her land located at Nka village, Nsugbe, Anambra East Local Government Area, vowing to drag the police authority to court for alleged encroachment.

Briefing newsmen in her Nsugbe residence, she stated that she was informed of the encroachment while in Abuja by one of the workers employed by the police who she said was familiar with the terrain.

“I was in Abuja when I had a distress call from one of the people who claimed he is a mason working there saying that they were working in the land they believe is mine. That police are constructing police station inside my land and that was why I came down and went there”.

“I was baffled and shocked that such a thing would happen. Why should it be on my land, it is an encroachment. I did one or two findings and discovered a particular man behind the act.

“He is one of the recently promoted Deputy Inspector Generals of Police, that encroached on my land and he has been battling with me on that land for some time now”

“I did not know he intended to bring the police into my property. I will go to court but I want to alert the world that the police have encroached on my land. Their signpost is mounted there and they did not tell me that they are encroaching on my land.

“I don’t know whether that land was designated by the police officer or that he just feels like calling it a favorite because of his recent promotion to DIG. I don’t know whether the police are aware of what he is doing. How can they have a police station there and another police station erected at the same place?” She queried.

she said that her aim of going to the press was to let the police authority know there is an encroachment on her land bought by her late
husband, Luke Ibeneme.

“My husband, Luke, who is late bought it with his own money, I am a widow and the DIG wants to grab it and give it to the police. If he has agreed with the police to give them land let him look else were and give to the police and not my land”

The former Commissioner consequently urged Governor Willie Obiano, President Muhammadu Buhari, and IGP to prevail on the police authority to caution the DIG to hands off her land.

“The land they encroached upon is over 60 plots of land with economic cash crops lost. I have three iroko threes there, mangoes, pawpaw,
oranges, among others. It was a land intended by my husband for agricultural farming. He wanted to go into the bulk plantation and the land is right inside the forest, behind Oyi river”.

Pleading for immediate intervention to recover her land she advised the police to commence investigation on the land adding, “I am aging gracefully and I don’t want anything that will give me high blood pressure, I want to just settle down peacefully”.Efforts made to reach the State Police Command’s spokesman at the time of filing this report were not successful as the network was not in favor of this reporter at that time.