SIMON EBEGBULEM, Benin City

Last week’s demolition of the house of the wife of two-time governor of old Bendel State, Dr Samuel Ogbemudia, and that of the former chief whip of the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie, by the Edo State Task Force Committee on Illegal Structures under the leadership of Major Lawrence Loye, is causing ripples in the state. Ogbemudia’s wife’s building situated at Siluko Road, Benin City had two blocks of eight flats.

Tension heightened when Ogbemudia’s daughter and former commissioner for education in the state, Ms Uyi Ogbemudia, raised an alarm that the demolition of the building was illegal since, according to her, it was not on the channel. She went further to allege that the state government was using the demolition to fight perceived political enemies. She insisted that the building had valid approval from government and that “is why I am still wondering why they destroyed it”.

She went on: They tried similar thing two years ago after which they came to apologise and now you can see what happened. This is very unfair and I feel it is politically motivated. When you measure that land, you will find out that they made a grave mistake. I met them while they were destroying it and I told them that what they were doing was wrong but they told me to go and inform them at Government House as they had come to execute their job”.

The Owie’s demolished house is located at Textile Mill Road but he was not around when Loye’s bulldozer came calling. The task force members claimed the houses were on the channel, saying they were marked for demolition by the Town Planning Department of the state Ministry of Lands and Survey.

Governor Adams Oshiomhole was not in the state when the houses were demolished but he visited the two areas to see the true situation of things on his return. On getting to Siluko, the governor observed that Ogbemudia’s wife’s building was not on the channel.

At that point, a visibly angry Oshiomhole walked up to the task force chairman and queried why he went demolishing houses without getting clearance from him as directed earlier. Oshiomhole thundered: “Loye, you are a sadist, you are wicked but this is your end. You are out here to rubbish the effort of the state government, to give me a bad name. You must pay for this, I will make sure you are arrested and charged accordingly”.

The governor ordered the immediate arrest of Loye for carrying out unauthorized demolition of buildings in the state capital. According to the governor, “As you have seen, this building that he has destroyed does not in any way affect the channel.

There is enough space between the property and the channel. The fact that you work for government does not give you license to visit harm and destruction on innocent people. I am convinced that he acted in bad faith; he acted in mischief. He is a sadist and his purpose is to bring confusion to the community and confuse the people about the genuineness of our intention.”He decried the recklessness with which the task force has been operating.

“Major Loye is on his own without authorization from the commissioner, moved to this location and brought down this building. He is not a town planning officer. He is only to carry out demolition after a competent officer identifies a property that offends the right of way. He has assumed the powers of the ministry of land and environment. On his own, without being told, he goes about marking houses indiscriminately”.

The governor assured: “I remain committed. If any property obstructs the right of way, it will be demolished, it does not matter who owns it”.He added however that if any property does not constitute any blockade, such property is entitled to government protection.

“I am handing him over now to the police for prosecution for illegal destruction of properties. He will be prosecuted according to the law. Although the governor can revoke properties in public interest, I have not handed over that power to Major Loye and he cannot acquire it. If he seeks to use his personal biases to do what he has done, then he must be subjected to the rule of law and we must bring him to justice”.

Loye was arrested in the presence of members of the public and moved to the state police command in a truck. However, the task force chairman insisted he acted accordingly, noting that he was being persecuted because the houses of influential people in the state were affected in the exercise. According to Loye, he acted according to the marking of the town planners and vowed to clear his name. He was arraigned before a Benin Magistrate Court on Wednesday where he was denied bail.

The retired army officer, dressed in a blue long sleeve shirt and a pair of khaki trousers, was called to the accused box where he took his plea of not guilty to the charges preferred against him. In the charge No.MEG/348C/2011, the accused person was alleged to have conspired to commit an offence of misdemeanor of malicious damage and thereby committed an offence punishable under section 517 of the Criminal Code. Five other charges were leveled against the embattled committee chairman. His counsel Austin Osarenkhoe pleaded for bail application. But that was denied by Magistrate Omonua, who said he will rule on the application on September 29. The retired major was remanded in jail.

Reacting, the state chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, described the arrest and prosecution of the chairman of the task force as an attempt to play politics with the people of the state.

Orbih condemned “the inhuman behavious meted at the task force chairman during his arrest”, adding that it would be difficult for Oshiomhole to extricate himself from the action of the committee which he set up. Orbih lamented that the demolition was targeted at chieftains of the PDP.

“ I think Oshiomhole is playing politics with the people of Edo. I believe the time has come when people should own up to their actions and inactions. Major Loye is an appointee of government and this government must be man enough to take full responsibility for the actions of Loye and members of his committee. He was given a mandate by the ACN government in the state to destroy homes of innocent citizens, especially those belonging to the PDP and there is nothing to gain when you apply medicine after death.

“All I expect the governor to do now is to apologise to the people of the state for his actions so far and not play to the gallery. They should apologize and announce to the people that the government will ensure that adequate compensation is paid to the victims rather than trying to shift blame by putting Loye in the public domain as the man who is carrying out this action,” he stated.

Loye has joined the league of chairmen of committees in Edo regarded as tyrants who ended up disastrously. His fate now lies in the court of law.