Businesses and locals lament as Enugu destroys homes and farms
The state government has destroyed the homes of hundreds of people who lived in the Nchatancha Nike village in Enugu State‘s Enugu East Local Government Area, leaving them without a place to live.
Businesses and locals lament as Enugu destroys homes and farms
A few of the residents who had recently given birth to babies were also evicted without being given the chance to remove any of their possessions.
Some of the people had lived on their property even before Sullivan Chime’s emergency governorship, despite the government’s allegation that the land on which the homeowners built their homes was obtained by the state during Chime’s prior administration.
The Nchatancha Nike community has refuted the state government’s claims tha
t it has acquired almost 5,000 hectares, claiming that the administration, led by Chime, was granted 450 hectares, or 5,000 plots of land, and that the community has not yet received compensation.
Mrs. Ngozi Dede was among many residents whose property was demolished. She claimed that although one of her properties was marked and duly issued an eviction notice, her multi-million naira poultry and fish farm, situated distant from the government-drawn boundary of the land it had acquired, was destroyed without warning, resulting in the slaughter of 18,000 birds and 5,000 mature fish.
More than 200 homes, including multimillion-dollar hotels in Obeagu and Amechi Awkunanaw, were first targeted for demolition by the government. These homes were allegedly “kidnappers’ dens,” most likely as a pretext for the unwarranted demolition.
In light of Nigeria’s current economic difficulties, the South-East PUNCH correspondent who visited the site over the weekend described the terrible scene of houses and farmland being demolished at the Nchatancha Nike village, which began on the penultimate Tuesday.
Speaking with South-East PUNCH, Mrs. Dede, who was born in Enugu but is married to an Abia State resident, referred to the destruction of farms as horrifying and human inhumanity. She questioned how a government that actively encouraged investors to visit Enugu State would be so callous as to destroy preexisting investments without following the proper legal and procedural procedures.
Mrs. Dede, who is currently fighting for her husband’s life at a private hospital in the state, bemoaned her loss and said, “I learned that they (the government) are demolishing some places.” Not even the employees here informed me that my farm was marked; they claimed no eviction notices or markings had been given. I lawfully purchased and constructed this farm. I provide the government millions of naira in taxes.
“My coworkers and nearby neighbors showed me a beacon-marked region. Suddenly, I was addressed as “that one man,” a commissioner, who came to say that my land ought to be included. Despite the cries of my staff that this region was not demarcated, the caterpillar entered and began destroying the farm. No departure notice is given. As they were tearing down, I entered, noticed them, and intervened to stop them. I begged them to give me a day to pack the birds, but they destroyed everything instead.
“10,000 of my hens are producing eggs. From this farm, I pick 300 boxes of eggs a day. I purchased 6,000 pullets that are roughly three to four months old; I also had 2,000 broilers that I intended to sell this Easter; additionally, I had 2,000 fingerlings and 5,000 mature fish, both of which I lost. That something like this could be occurring in Nigeria right now made me feel awful. The people need the government, not the other way around.
“I am aware that you notify individuals and offer notice when development is about to occur. Individuals similar to me did not receive any warning; in fact, I was unaware that they were taking any action. I’ve been away, but I’ve been in contact with my farm since I’ve heard they’re working on St. David Road. I was unaware that my farm had been mentioned.
“Meanwhile, they did not mark here,” she said, adding that she had built the farm in September 2017 after purchasing the site. Proceeding forward, you will notice the locations of the red ribbon and beacons. Even yesterday, while I was here, I ran into a few people. I even ran into the Capital Territory chairman, who I told that I had heard my farm was not marked and that no eviction notice had been issued, so why was it being demolished? He replied, “Madam, it is from the authority.”
“Even one of my employees who was married to her spouse was having a baby in the boys’ section at the time the destruction was underway. She was unaware that anything was taking place. Before she came out with the baby, the people were the ones yelling; else, their sheer evil would have killed both the mom and the child. They didn’t notify me about this kind of evil, so I’m shocked to see it. If for nothing else, I would have saved the birds’ lives if they had at least given me notice.
