In Uteh Community, Benin City, on Sunday, the Edo State Government’s enforcement team participated in a demolition exercise under the direction of Ms. Isoken Omo, Commissioner for Physical Planning, Housing, Urban and Regional Development.
The demolition operation was a response to a distress call made by community members via a video that went viral on social media on Saturday showing the proprietor of Divine Providence School illegally building a perimeter fence on a road near Palace Road in Uteh Community.
The fence in the widely shared video was built illegally in order to take over an existing road and turn it into a private structure, making it impossible for the locals to get to their homes.
Afraid after seeing the widely shared video, the commissioner quickly dispatched her enforcement team along with a few security guards to the site in order to tear down the fence and take back the access road.
Since the private school’s fence had previously been flagged for violations, it was sealed off, along with other nearby properties that had violated building permits.
The Commissioner claims that the move was made to head off a potential crisis in the area and to make sure that any instances of land grabs or willful disregard for building permits in the State are dealt with immediately.
Ms. Isoken Omo declared that her ministry’s mission will be zealously upheld and issued a warning that the Edo State Government will not tolerate any illegal activity that could undermine the advancement and efforts of the Governor Godwin Obaseki-led administration in ending the threat of land grabbing in the State.
She urged State citizens to use a Ministry hotline specifically designated for reporting any violations or land grabs occurring in their neighborhood:
08104663697 or 09128902734.
She stated that her Ministry will keep up its fervent efforts to end land grabbing in Edo State.
The State Government’s prompt and swift intervention by the ministry was greatly appreciated by the residents.