Tension, Anxiety As Abia Govt Begins Demolition Of Structures On Illegally Acquired Public Schools’ Land

By Suleiman Anyalewechi

Palpable anxiety, apprehension, and  fear have gripped allottees and beneficiaries of lands and other properties belonging to public schools and other institutions in Abia State.

At the weekend, the State authorities commenced moves to recover the lost   assets, with the demolition of structures erected on the encroached lands at the famous Government College Umuahia.

Rising from an Executive Council Meeting on August ,5, 2024, the Commissioner for Information, Prince Okey Kalu said that a Committee has been set up to supervise the process of recovering lands that were illegally collected from over 180 public schools across the State by the previous administration.

The Source reports that the immediate past Government had allotted a large chunk of land belonging to some public educational institutions in the State to private individuals, mostly political cronies ,friends family members,and some faith-based organizations.

Similarly, most of the beneficiaries have gone ahead to erect varying structures, ranging from residential buildings, business outlets, to Worship Centres, not minding public outcry.

Prince Kalu had warned that the State Government will not condone the mindless appropriation of public lands and other assets by unscrupulous elements.

He noted  that some individuals have developed  the penchant for unbridled greed and display of impunity in  illegally appropriating  the common wealth .

The recovery  Committee which include  some key members of the State Executive Council is headed by the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Pastor Caleb Ajagba.

Kingsley Agomuo, the General Manager of the Umuahia Capital Development Authority, who is also, a member of the recovery committee said the demolition at the College will serve as a warning to trespassers, that it will not be business as usual.

He noted that the area being demolished belong to the Government College Umuahia.

According to him, the Abia State Government gave the areas to the College Old Boys Association with a Certificate of Occupancy .

The UCDA boss expressed regret that despite clear evidence that the land belongs to public institution, some people still went ahead to partition and sell them.

He cautioned prospective land buyers to always carry out due enquiries before engaging in any transactions.

He informed that the demolition exercise was preceded by required notices to the occupants, adding that any structures still standing within the area after the exercise belong to Government College Umuahia .

Chairman of the host community, Friday Ohaeri, explained that  the encroached lands were freely donated by their forebears to the progenitors of the College at its formative stage in the 1920s

The Source reports that most of the occupants of the encroached land are insisting that they acquired the property through the Umunna Community of Ndume Ibeku ,the host community of the College.

But Ohaeri, the Chairman of the Ummuna community, maintained that the occupants were only goaded by selfish interests,as the transactions were never, and still not known  to the Umunna community.

An official of the Old Boys Association Eze Justice Chinonyerem Uwaga, noted that the encroached land used to serve as the College’s farm land .

Eze Uwaga, who is the second National Vice president of the College Old Boys Association, also informed that all past efforts to get the illegal occupants to quit proved futile.

The Source gathered that the Government College demolition exercise has evoked serious fears among other occupants of lands belonging to public schools across the state

Before ,the College demolition exercise, most of the beneficiaries of the partitioned school lands had dismissed the threat by the Government to recover the lands .

Even with the constitution of the recovery committee, most of the allottees never blinked, as they believed that the entire exercise will naturally fizzle out.

But ,it is now obvious that real danger looms, particularly for the Aba axis allottees who have  built multi million naira business outfits and other structures on the encroached lands.