By Efosa Ugiagbe
BENIN—Utangban community in Iyekogba, Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, has called on Edo State Governor, Mr Adams Oshiomhole, to sack his Commissioner for Special Duties, Calistus Ojeabu, for unilaterally destroying their property.

The community also wants  the governor to set up a panel of inquiry to unravel the reasons behind the action of the Commissioner,  which they described as sinister, insisting that his continued stay in government was a threat to the genuine efforts of the current administration to transform the state.

The community, represented by Mr Samuel Akhimien and others, in a letter  through their counsel, informed the governor that they were lawful allotees of land  at Utangban community, within the 30 hectares of forest land in Ogba Forest Reserve,  which was de -reserved by the Edo State Government.

The community noted that in 2001, the government informed them of the approval for the de-reservation of 30 hectares of land in Ogba Forest, which was Gazetted by the government on May 7, 2007.

The letter said: “In compliance with the provisions of the letter of de-reservation, we began to develop our various plots and these developments had reached various levels and some are even completed and inhabited.  However, on September 18, 2011, Mr. Calistus Ojeabu, the immediate past Commissioner for Lands, Survey and Housing, authorised some persons to pull down all the structures without lawful justification.

“The said Commissioner, who was redeployed later on the same day or thereabout to another ministry only claimed that these structures were built on government reserved land which allegation is not true.”

They contended that structures, which were so unjustifiably pulled down had approved building plans and people were already living in some of the buildings, thus rendering the owners homeless.