Edo community commends govt for revoking Ize-Iyamu’s property

The Amagba community in Oredo Council of Edo State, yesterday, commended Governor Obasekifor revoking the Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) of Osagie Ize-Iyamu’s 18 hectares of farm land in the community.

In a statement endorsed by the Odionwere of the community, Joseph Iduoriyekemwen; Victor Algbe; O. Igbinidu; Monday Iduoriyekemwen and John Aware, it commended Obaseki for acceding to their demand for justice over the land, which they claimed Ize-Iyamu acquired through oppression.

The community said the entire land did not belong to Ize-Iyamu, who was All Progressive Congress (APC) governorship candidates in the 2020 Edo governorship election.

They argued that portions of the land were allocated to other individuals, adding that the land, which the community awarded to Ize-Iyamu, had since been revoked after several letters were written to him by legal representatives of the Amagba Community.

The Guardian recalled that Governor Obaseki had in June announced the revocation of the C-of-O of the 18-hectare farmland and released an official gazette on the revocation order last week.

In the statement titled: Revocation of Ize-lyamu’s 18 Hectares Land: Official Statement of Amagba Community, indigenes of the community expressed their appreciation to Obasekl for listening and hearkening to their pleas expressed through letters written to him on Ize-Iyamu’s alleged injustice and oppression.

MEANWHILE, some groups and civil society organisations have commended Obaseki for signing the bill to repeal the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2017 and re-enacting the Edo State Private Property Protection Law 2021.

Speaking with journalists at the weekend, the groups applauded the governor for the new law, which they said, would boost investors’ confidence and engender greater development in the state.

While signing the bill into law, Obaseki said: “The law affects law and order in the state. With this law, we are not only banning the Community Development Associations (CDAs), but also all property and land grabbers in communities.”

Reacting to the development, founder of Edo Progressive Indigenous Association (EPIA), Chief Omogiede Edokpolo, said curtailing activities of property grabbers in Edo State would help to facilitate development of the state.

The newly promulgated law proscribing activities of property speculators and land grabbers was generating tension in the polity, as a group of youths urged Governor Obaseki to retrieve the statement against land grabbers to avoid legal issues for proscribing youth leaders of communities in the state.

According to them, while on a peaceful protest to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) press Centre in Benin Ciuy “under the Benin Traditional Council (BTC) Law of Edo State, those who deal on lamnd and property were not political appointees, but subjects to the Oba of Benin Kingdom, Oba Ewuare II.