Land grabbing disputes in Rivers State have continued to raise concerns, with some property owners alleging destruction, looting and forceful takeover of their properties by suspected land grabbers.
The latest incident involves the alleged destruction and looting of properties worth millions of naira belonging to Stephen Wenendah-Nyegwa of Rumuaghorlu Community, along the SARS Road axis of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.
Speaking on the incident, Wenendah-Nyegwa narrated how he acquired the property from members of the Woko family in Rumuaghorlu, following a court judgment involving Rumuaghorlu and neighbouring Rukpokwu Community over properties along the SARS Road axis. He said the matter had been decided by the High Court and the Court of Appeal, following a Supreme Court judgment on the properties.
Wenendah-Nyegwa, who is the Chief Executive Officer of Delta Technologies and Property Limited, said he was surprised when he received a call over the weekend about an alleged invasion of his property by hoodlums led by Doneye Douglas, popularly known as The Don, alongside personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
He alleged that the group destroyed parts of the building and looted goods and other valuables inside the property. Wenendah-Nyegwa appealed to the Inspector General of Police, the Rivers State Commissioner of Police and President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter, saying he would no longer fold his arms and allow what he described as criminals to take over his property.
The Chairman of the Woko family, Nwoburuoma Woko, who sold the property to Wenendah-Nyegwa, and the Manager of Delta Technologies and Property Limited, Isaac Onyebuchi, also recounted their experiences during the alleged attack. They claimed that the security personnel and accompanying thugs were armed with different weapons and destroyed and looted goods within the property.
However, reacting to the allegations, Doneye Douglas denied leading thugs to destroy the property. He maintained that those working on the property were the rightful owners acting on the basis of a court order, and described Wenendah-Nyegwa as a land grabber who, according to him, has no respect for the rule of law.
