Land Encroachment in Warri: Okumagba Accuses Government Officials in Delta
Okere Urhobo kingdom in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State, has raised an alarm over what it tagged "the unbridled encroachment on the expanse of Okere Urhobo land by some greedy government allies and cronies".
The encroached land, according to Okumagba, the Okere Urhobo kingdom land that is currently tampered with, "stretches from the Delta State Board of Internal Revenue headquarters and the Delta State School of Nursing to NPDC (Shell Gate), Okere-Edjeba, Warri".
This was contained in a statement signed by Hon. Igho Egheba Okumagba, copies of which were made available to journalists in Warri.
Okumagba noted that the land was previously acquired by the defunct Bendel State Government for Stadium and Central Hospital projects in Warri, before it was transferred to Delta State government for the specific purposes, upon creation of the State.
He however lamented that the Delta State Government failed to use the land for the purposes upon which the land was ceded to government by the original owners, the Okere Urhobo Kingdom, "the land is presently being encroached upon by some unscrupulous people in government with the motive of illegally selling the plots of land to unsuspecting members of the public at exorbitant prices for their selfish gain".
“The Okere Urhobo kingdom expressed sadness over the frequent encroachment on the land, and accused some unnamed people in government of aiding and abetting their cronies and political allies in perpetrating the illegality.”
While noting that some parts of the land along Airport Road in Warri had already been used by Delta State Board of Internal Revenue and the State School of Nursing, he observed that "the remaining larger portion is what greedy people,
Mostly government senior officials, are presently trying to grab".
Okumagba specifically accused some unnamed officials within the Delta State Government of hatching plans to allocate these plots of Okere-Urhobo land to their cronies and political leaders, who will sell to individuals at outrageous price.
He declared, “If the Delta State Government no longer has use for the hectares of land acquired by the then Bendel State Government for the earmarked projects, it should be returned to Okere-Urhobo Kingdom, the original owners of this expanse of land.
"Okere Urhobo does not support any plan to sell their land as the kingdom has other purposes that the land could be used for.
"We call on the general public to take notice of this publication and steer clear from this land for the buyer(s) will face legal action and prosecution".
