From Aloysius Attah, Onitsha
Prophet Ikenna Ezejiaku, General Overseer, Mountain of Yahweh Synagogue Church, Okpanam in Oshimili North Local Government Area, Delta State says at the moment, he’s facing the greatest battle of his life.
Ezejiaku, who hails from Okija community in Ihiala Local Government Area, Anambra State is earnestly seeking government assistance and protection. In his words, unless this is done urgently or by divine intervention, his many years of sweat in life are about slipping off his hand and going down the drain.
At the centre of the whole struggle presently is a contention over about ten plots of land and buildings located at Okpanam, Delta State which he reportedly bought from the Sawyer family, Umuidagbe Oji village, Okpanam, Delta State about 15 years ago.
Prophet Ezejiaku had before now enjoyed unfettered access to the land where he built a residential building for his family, a mini church and an open space for prayer activities preparatory to building the main cathedral of the synagogue. He said suddenly, in 2016, the Ibusa-born socialite, Chief Fred Ajudua allegedly stormed the place and reportedly started laying claims to the land until the matter was temporarily settled.
Ajudua has, however denied the allegations. He asked the church leader to go to court if he feels aggrieved.
Speaking to Saturday Sun in Obosi, Anambra State where he claimed to have relocated temporarily presently for his safety, Prophet Ezejiaku said he had to flee for his life this time when Ajudua allegedly stormed the place again with some toughies threatening fire and brimstone. He said the men pulled down his structures and economic trees planted in the compound.
Estimating the losses he sustained in the invasion of his premises to the tune of about N50 million, he said that though he was not around when the invaders came, two of his pastors escaped miraculously while one of them sustained injuries and also lost his mobile phone. He said a death threat was dropped for him by Ajudua’s men.
I legally acquired my properties –Prophet
Speaking with the reporter, Prophet Ezejiaku tendered three different documents showing when he bought the lands from the Sawyer family.
“I bought the lands at three different periods and had enjoyed unhindered access to the properties until sometime in 2016 when Ajudua stormed the place. He demanded that I should pay him N10 million for each of the plots or be prepared to vacate the land for him because according to him, the land belongs to him and his kinsmen from Ibusa. Initially, I took his threat to be a joke because I knew that he is from Ibusa, while I acquired the land genuinely from its rightful owners who are from Okpanam. So, I ignored the threat while I also didn’t have that kind of money to give over a property I acquired through due process.
“When he continued disturbing me in the place, I had to alert the family who sold the land to me and we even involved the Igwe of Ibusa, the Ministry of Lands and the police when Ajudua claimed that their people own the land, claiming that they won a Supreme Court case over the land. The Delta State Police Command, through one Supol Duru of the X-Squad Department, who visited the said location of the properties, summoned Ajudua and asked him to produce a certified true copy of the Supreme Court judgement as evidence but he could not provide anything to that effect. This was in 2016.”
Ezejiaku said he thought that the battle was over after those struggles until January this year when those claiming ownership of the land came in another form.
“To my greatest surprise and horror, Ajudua stormed my church again on 4th January 2023 with those suspected thugs and a bulldozer and started pulling down all the structures I erected as my prayer houses, including my gigantic church hall which had reached the lintel level .
“As if that was not enough, he hired some labourers and started digging foundation on top of the demolished church hall and above all threatened to eliminate me if he dares see me there the next time he would visit the place by himself. I have also heard from a reliable source that they have started selling my land to unsuspecting buyers.”
When the reporter visited the place in Okpanam for confirmation of his claims, the entire stretch of land and properties located few meters away from Asaba Airport was a ruinous sight. Three different structures in the compound had been destroyed and are now piles of rubble. Various economic trees were cut down while some portion of the land has been demarcated with a foundation preparatory for the erection of a new building.
Lamenting further, Prophet Ezejiaku made a special appeal to well meaning individuals and government authorities in Anambra, Delta State and the Federal Government to come to his rescue and save him from what he described as outright intimidation and oppression.
While lamenting the level of devastation meted out to him by the alleged invaders, he disclosed that his children have been thrown out of school since they all had to leave Okpanam and relocate to Anambra State for their safety. He said he has equally written a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, the Director General of DSS and other relevant agencies to come to his rescue. He said he heard from a reliable source that Ajudua is hell-bent on taking away his lifetime achievement.
Property not in contention
–Sawyer family
While speaking on the development, Awele Sawyer, one of the signatories from the family that sold the land to Prophet Ezejiaku, said that the land they sold to Ezejiaku was free of any encumbrances whatsoever, wondering why Ajudua and his Ibusa brothers are laying claim to what they don’t have any stake in.
“We sold the property and duly transferred the deed of ownership of the land to Prophet Ezejiaku after he paid the agreed fees and other customary requirements . We have boundaries only with Obodogba community on one side and Asaba on the other side, so we do not share any boundary whatsoever with Ibusa people. Ajudua is simply using his influence and connection in government because his sister is the Commissioner for Lands in Delta State, while his wife is a serving member of Delta State House of Assembly. He is using all that influence to intimidate people. But we have decided not to keep silent any longer. We have involved the police and also almost ready with our filings to go to court so as to challenge this anomaly. They are using political power to grab other people’s lands, but they will not succeed,” Awele said.
All allegations not true –Ajudua
When contacted for his comments and reactions, Chief Fred Ajudua denied having anything to do with Prophet Ezejiaku as a person. He said the Prophet is only having issues with Ibusa people and not him personally as Ajudua.
He told the reporter: “Why is the so-called prophet calling everybody over this matter? Another reporter from another newspaper has called me too over this. If he has issues with Ibusa, why is he calling my name? If he has any issue with anybody, he should not use the press as a weapon. Let him go to court or the police. How can I take somebody’s land and why is he going to the press? To do what? He should go to court if he has the title to the so called land. He should go to court and get a restraining order. Something that concerns the whole community, you start calling an individual. Am I that powerful,” Ajudua concluded.
I know nothing of the matter
–Delta Commissioner
The Delta State Commissioner for Lands, Mrs Kate Oniawa, when contacted, begged to be spared the embarrassment of bringing her into a matter that she doesn’t know anything about. She said she is not aware of the land in question or anything going on in the area mentioned
We’ll investigate –Delta Police
Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Delta State Command, Bright Edafe when contacted also said he has not been briefed on the matter. He promised to make inquiries about the case and cause necessary actions to be taken.