More than 210 jobs  may be lost in Enugu following a controversy that has arisen over ownership of the multimillion naira popular hospitality garden, New Berries Park.

At the weekend, a  failed bid was made to demolish the park  which house several businesses with sections of the perimeter fence, parts of some buildings and several business spots pulled down by bulldosers.

It was alleged that the demolition team was escorted by over 50 masked security operatives armed with rifles as well as more than 20 suspected thugs.

The Managing Director of New Berries Park, Ikenna Abanonu, alleged that already property and goods worth over N350 million were destroyed during the operation.

He maintained that the park had operated on the property for the past 21 years under a lease agreement with the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), which, according to him, would expire in 2028, and expressed surprise about the attempted demolition even when his tenancy had not expired.

“We have been operating here for 21 years and our lease agreement will expire in 2028. I don’t have any need to drag land with anyone,” he said.

Abanonu disclosed that the dispute began sometime last year when Mrs. Jennifer Onoh, owner of Jenew Homes, informed him that she had acquired the property where the park is domiciled.

He said he raised no objection to the claim but insisted that the Federal Government agency that granted him the lease should formally notify him before he could vacate the premises.

“I told her if you have bought the land, there’s no problem because my lease agreement is still running till 2028. I also told her the proper thing to do is to get the Federal Government, which allocated or sold the place to you, to formally write me to quit so that we can discuss it because they were equally the ones who granted me the lease under which I am operating,” he said.

He further alleged that after the disagreement, he was invited by the police and subsequently instituted a legal action, accusing Onoh of resorting to intimidation instead of pursuing the matter in court.

“She took me to the police, and I sued her. But she didn’t want to come to court. She has been using all kinds of intimidation, including the EFCC. I wonder if the EFCC is the proper authority to mediate over land or property matters,” he alleged.

The businessman also claimed he was unable to be at the premises during the incident because he was receiving treatment in hospital.

” But on a Sunday morning, I got information that my business premises and my business were being destroyed. I don’t know where they got the order or the authority to embark on that brazen act of destruction,” he said.

Abanonu said the park remains a major employer in the state, with 104 direct employees and another 98 operators running ancillary businesses such as suya and barbecue outlets within the facility.

“In this business, we have 104 direct employees while 98 others are people who have ancillary businesses such as suya and barbecue sellers, among others, with their own employees inside the park,” he said.

Eyewitnesses alleged that the security personnel involved in the operation claimed they were enforcing a court order but did not produce the order when requested.

They also claimed that no court bailiff was present during the exercise, while some persons at the scene were allegedly detained for over an hour before being released.

But reacting to the allegations, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Jenew Homes Limited, Mrs. Jennifer Onoh, denied authorising or participating in the demolition or attempted demolition of New Berries Park.

Onoh described the allegations as “false, misleading and malicious,” insisting that neither she nor her company had any involvement in the reported incident.

She explained that the land was allocated to Jenew Homes Limited by the Land Use Allocation Committee of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on August 15, 2022, and that following the enforcement of a Federal High Court judgment delivered on January 31, 2022, possession of the property was handed over to the company by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development on January 16, 2026.

She, however, noted that vacant possession of the property had yet to be delivered to the company and that the matter had already been brought to the attention of the ministry.

“I neither authorised nor participated in any demolition or attempted demolition of the said premises on July 19, 2026, or at any other time. The alleged demolition is completely alien to me and to Jenew Homes Limited,” Onoh stated.

She urged members of the public to disregard the allegations and warned that legal action would be taken against anyone who continued to publish what she described as defamatory statements against her and Jenew Homes Limited.