Hundreds of property owners whose buildings were allegedly demolished in Asaba, Delta State, have appealed to Governor Sheriff Oborevwori to intervene in a lingering land dispute involving Parkview Estates, Anwai, and Dennis Osadebay University, two years after the demolition left several families homeless and destroyed investments worth millions of naira.

The affected property owners, under the aegis of Parkview Estates, Anwai, alleged that their buildings were demolished on May 14, 2024, by the Delta State Taskforce on Recovery of Government Lands, despite claims that they had legally acquired the properties.

They urged the governor to investigate the circumstances surrounding the demolition, provide compensation for the losses suffered by the affected residents or facilitate the return of the disputed land to its legitimate owners.

Speaking with journalists on Tuesday, Chairman of Parkview Estates, Chief Charles Ogbobe, described the demolition as devastating, saying it destroyed years of investments, rendered families homeless and subjected property owners to severe emotional and financial hardship.

Ogbobe maintained that the disputed land, located at Anwai, popularly known as Musa Camp and later renamed Ugbomanta by the Asagba of Asaba, was legitimately acquired from the Isieke community, which, according to him, possesses documents supporting its claim of ownership.

He said the dispute arose from competing claims over the land between the community and the state-owned university, adding that the history of the property dated back to 1953, when it was allegedly leased to a colonial administrator, Reverend Prior, for a period of 50 years.

According to him, the lease expired in 2003, a development he said raised questions about the continued claims over the property.

The estate chairman lamented that many of the affected property owners had continued to experience emotional trauma and economic hardship since the demolition, with some struggling to rebuild their lives after losing their homes and sources of livelihood.

He further alleged that the Delta State High Court had directed the parties involved in the dispute to produce survey plans to establish and delineate the boundaries of the contested property.

Also speaking, the Vice Chairman of Parkview Estates, Mr. Samuel Onuwa David, alleged that the demolition was carried out before the expiration of a seven-day notice reportedly issued to occupants of the disputed land.

He claimed that residents had made efforts to obtain a court injunction to prevent the demolition but that their efforts did not stop the exercise.

David disclosed that he personally lost a private school and a residential building, while four additional buildings belonging to his in-laws were also demolished.

He maintaining that documents available to the affected property owners indicated that the lease to the university expired in 1991.

“We are appealing to the governor, as a father, to come to our aid. Let him compensate us for the houses that were demolished and or give us back our land,” he pleaded.

Another affected property owner, Mr. Christian Nwaolisa, said he had returned from Northern Nigeria to settle in his home state but lost his residence in the demolition exercise.

Nwaolisa expressed disappointment that his property was demolished despite his claim that he had obtained a Certificate of Occupancy and building approval from the relevant authorities before embarking on construction.

Similarly, Mr. Chuks Okei said he purchased his plot from the Isieke community, conducted a survey and obtained government building approval before commencing construction in 2020.

They therefore called on Oborevwori to establish the facts surrounding the disputed land, determine the circumstances under which the demolition was authorised and ensure that those affected received justice.

However, the Delta State Commissioner for Lands and Surveys, Mr. Emanusi Ibiodeh who reacted to the allegations, insisted that the affected buildings were erected on land belonging to the State government.

Obiodeh said the properties were demolished because their owners had trespassed on government land, and that the government had formally gazetted it, although the property was not immediately put to use.

According to the commissioner, the period during which the land remained undeveloped apparently led some people to believe that it was available for private acquisition and development.

He said individuals subsequently acquired portions of the land and began erecting buildings, resulting in the government’s intervention to recover the property.