No fewer than 4,000 residents, including petty traders, sand miners and other business owners around the River Niger area in the commercial city of Onitsha in Anambra State have been left without shelter and shops where to lay their heads or do their businesses, as the state government has demolished their houses and shops.
The residents, with their family members, who spoke to South-East PUNCH on Tuesday and Wednesday, lamented that they were “brutally” thrown out from their places of abode and business without any prior notice and without allowing them to take out any of their belongings.
Although, the state government, through the Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Emeka Orji, who supervised the demolition on Monday, justified its action by insisting that the demolition follows the state government’s resolve to rid the area of “illegal structures” and incessant building collapse in the area, the victims claimed that they had lived and done businesses in their property, which they claimed they legally acquired through the National Inland Waterways Authority, even long before the emergence of successive administrations in the state.
The demolition of no fewer than 2,000 shops and residential buildings was a fall out of the building collapse that occurred on Basden Street, Fegge, Onitsha, on Sunday, and a three-storey building, which had earlier collapsed at the Odu-Igbo area in Ochanja in the same Onitsha, three weeks ago.
In the collapsed building, no fewer than six persons were killed and over 20 persons sustained varying degrees of injuries after they were rescued from the rubbles.
The demolished shops and residential buildings located by the bank of River Niger were mostly owned by members of Sand Miners Association of Anambra State, who use them as equipment and operational offices, while some are occupied by petty traders who service them. Some people also own residential properties there.
When South-East PUNCH correspondent visited the area on Tuesday, it was like a ghost town, as the whole area has been levelled, while some of the victims were seen trying to salvage the remainder of their various items.
It was further gathered that the structures were built by the affected victims, who allegedly got the approval of the National Inland Water Ways.
But the state governor, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, during a visit to the area last week, had stated that NIWA does not have the right to build or allocate spaces to traders on Anambra land.
Soludo, during the inspection of roads constructed by his administration, ordered the chairman of Onitsha South Local Government chairman, Chief Orji, to demolish all “illegal structures,” insisting that the land belongs to Anambra State and not NIWA.
He said, “The code or bye-laws establishing NIWA gave the organisation 100 metres from the banks of the River Niger as right of easement, but what we are seeing here are illegal structures and should be demolished.”
One of numerous victims, whose property was demolished, identified as Mrs Ifeoma Nwafor, a farmer, said her two shops, which she uses as storage for seedlings and farm implements, were demolished, with various seedlings and items worth over N5 million, farm equipment and other agricultural items destroyed without notice.
Speaking with South-East PUNCH, Mrs Nwafor, an Onitsha indigene, described the demolition as “horrible and man’s inhumanity to man,” lamenting how a state government claiming to promote agriculture would destroy agricultural produce.
She said, “The demolition also encroached on some of our farmlands. My seedlings and other agricultural produces kept inside the shops, awaiting the next planting season, were totally destroyed without anything to salvage.
“There was no prior notice given to us. I acquired and built the shops legally and I got the approval of NIWA and we pay taxes both to NIWA and the Anambra State government. Government officials are aware of our activities and we are legal in that area.
“Since the demolition, my life has not remained the same, as I had been hospitalised, my blood pressure has risen and I am just managing the situation. Now, all my seedlings for the next planting season have been destroyed, nothing for planting as the next planting season begins soon.
“I had over N5 million worth of seedlings, agricultural produces and farm implements in the shops destroyed. We had some livestock that were destroyed too. The governor visited here last week and warned that ‘illegal’ structures would be demolished, but they are not ‘illegal’ structures, there were approvals given by relevant authorities. The government is there for the people and not the other way.”
While the demolition was going on, another affected victim, Martin Obiora, who was seen trying to salvage some of his equipment and goods, said there was no prior information about the demolition.
Obiora said, “We were not given any notice as regards the demolition. It is a vindictive one targeted at us because we refused to settle some government officials since we got approvals to erect structure from NIWA. We pay appropriate taxes and levies to the state government and NIWA and we don’t cut corners or pay to illegal revenue collector or government agents who shortchange the state.”
Other displaced victims who spoke to journalists, described the exercise as “wicked,” wondering why a state government will embark on such exercise at this period Nigerians are suffering, without allowing people to remove their machines and goods.
Another victim, identified as Lilian Ozoh, said, “We lost over 100 shops and equipment worth millions of naira, because we did not get a prior information of the demolition.
“We are law abiding in everything we are doing here; we are properly licensed and registered with the Federal Ministry of Environment and National Inland Waterways Authority. We pay all the necessary taxes and levies to NIWA and Anambra State government, we have even paid the necessary 2025 levies and taxes to Anambra State government and we don’t have any problem with NIWA, so we don’t know the reason for the demolition of our offices.
“We did not erect any illegal structure here, all the structures were legally registered and approved by the relevant government agencies and the appropriate payment made. It is therefore a surprise to us when they stormed the place and started demolishing without any prior notice.”
Like other victims, Augustine Nworie, was not spared the demolition agony. He lamented that he had no place to lay his head with his six children and wife.
He said, “I have a structure in the area and I have been living in my house for over 27 years now with my family. I got the approval to build from NIWA and all the approvals gotten from relevant authorities including the state government, but I am surprised what they are saying now.
“The land was not encumbered when I bought it. I made proper search in the Ministry of Lands before buying the land. The family did not tell me that government acquired it, even when I made personal inquiry from the traditional ruler of the community.”
When contacted, the Chairman of Onitsha South Local Government Area, Orji, who supervised the demolition, insisted that he was acting on the orders of the state governor, following incessant building collapse in the area.
Orji said, “A notice was issued as regards the demolition and it was followed by series of follow up notices but they disobeyed.
“Then last week, Mr Governor came to the area and told them that the place was not for shops or markets and ordered me to demolish the area, but I gave them another one week notice which ended on Monday.
“The area would be barricaded and cleared for the establishment of a Sea Side Resort, which would have green park areas with umbrella trees for relaxation and amusement.
“Everywhere cannot be shops in Onitsha and we have declared war on illegal structures and we shall ensure that the right thing is done about building collapse in Onitsha South local Government Area.”
NIWA Area Manager, Suleiman Nicholas, while responding to South-East PUNCH inquiries, said he was not aware of the development, adding that the state government cannot take action on NIWA Right of Way, without informing the agency.
Nicholas told South-East PUNCH, “If there is any illegal structure on NIWA Right of Way, the state government should have written us if they had seen any ‘illegal structures,’ and we would have take action against anybody involved. But we did not receive any complaint from the state government about such and therefore, there is no reason for such demolition to take place.”
Efforts to get the reaction of the state government through the state Ministry of Environment and the commissioner, Felix Odimegwu, for further clarifications, proved abortive, as there was no response to several calls and messages sent to his telephone line.
But a source in the Ministry of Environment, who craved anonymity, said, “What we have discovered was that a few individuals have encroached beyond the NIWA 100 meters right of way, hence the demolition was carried out to sanitise the area.
“The people were served notice on several occasions that there would be a day like this when a government would decide that it is now time to actualise the promise to build a new city.”
