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Ortom denies involvement in logo 1 Demolition

By Joseph Wantu, Makurdi
16 May 2020   |   3:32 am
Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said he has no hand in the demolition of houses behind Mid-Way Inn, Logo 1, Makurdi. Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Terver Akase, made the clarification yesterday at the Government House....

Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said he has no hand in the demolition of houses behind Mid-Way Inn, Logo 1, Makurdi. Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the governor, Mr. Terver Akase, made the clarification yesterday at the Government House, Makurdi, while fielding questions from newsmen on the allegation that the governor ordered the demolition.

Viral reports on the social media had it that Ortom ordered the demolition because he had acquired a property in the area. The CPS described the allegation as not only false but also mischievous and very unfortunate, wondering why those behind the falsehood chose to smear the name and office of the governor.

According to him, Ortom does not know the owner of the property, as the person is not related to the governor in anyway and at no point discussed the issue with him. He regretted the situation where youths use the social media to run their leaders down, asking the persons peddling the rumour to apologise or face the wrath of the law.

His words: “We find as unacceptable and unfortunate the story that Governor Ortom has ordered the demolition of a property at Logo 1 in Makurdi. What do they hope to achieve with the baseless allegation, if not for political purposes?

“There is no such thing. It is false, mischievous and malicious. For those who are spreading the rumour, the governor has no hand in the demolition. He does not have a property there as they are alleging.

“What we understand is that the person who carried out that demolition secured a court order which permitted him to take over his property and he went with the police to carry out the demolition,” Akase stated.

The Guardian gathered that the said demolition was carried out by the family of Har Gyuse (from Vandeikya) who are enforcing a judgement delivered in their favour by Justice Kpojime in 2013.

In the land case in question, Har Gyuse and members of Logo 1 community were in dispute over ownership of the land. Gyuse tendered a C of O of the land issued to him by the military administration in Benue in 1989.

“Yesterday’s demolition was therefore the enforcement of the court order in favour of Har Gyuse which judgment the community reportedly did not even appeal,” Amase added.

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