Two operators of burrow pit in Ogheghe community, Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area of Edo State, were arrested following the collapse of over 30 houses into the burrow pit. A burrow pit was also shut down in Umelu community of the same local government.

 

The two operators were arrested when the Edo State Public Property Protection Committee (EPPPC) paid on the spot assessment to the burrow pit sites at Ogheghe.

 

Speaking, Chairman of EPPPC, Eugene Okoloise, described the situation as an eye sore, adding that the entire Ogheghe community would be consumed within the next six months without government intervention.

 

“The place is an eyesore. We invited the owner of the burrow pit. And we are going to do our investigation. A lot of them that have encroached into houses, we’ve used an alternative dispute resolution in the office here.

 

“Because we told them to go and build for the people involved and they adhered to it. In Umelu. The burrow pit owners are building for them there. We also asked them to barricade the pit so that children will not fall into them.

 

“We went to Ogheghe. We saw the burrow pits and the houses that are about caving in. But we’ve not been able to see the owner of the house.

 

“But we want to equally use this medium to reach out to the burrow pit owners. They cannot continue like this. Otherwise, we’ll send so many of them to jail.

 

“Our Governor is a non-nonsense person. We have asked the former lawmaker the owns one of the pit to come and show evidence that the community encroached into his mining area.

 

“Even if those areas belong to him, he has to do things with human face. When those people were building, who did he report to that encroached are on his site?

 

“They can’t continue like that. This is a new government. This is the government of Senator Monday Okpebholo, who has come to make things rights in the state..I will join him to do it.”

 

Recall that affected landlords had earlier staged a peaceful protest calling on Governor Okpebholo to intervene and halt further operations of burrow pit in the locality.