Bamigbola Gbolagunte, Akure
A pressure group, Ilaje Advancement Forum (IAF), has called on the Ondo State Government to investigate the activities of men of the Nigerian Navy attached to Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of the state who allegedly set fire on the property of one Mrs Taiwo Menukuro.
In a statement signed by the group’s moderator, Olajuwon Daodu, and Legal Adviser, Fadesola Ojamoni, the IAF expressed worry over the failure of the state government to set up a judicial commission of enquiry to verify the claims of Mrs Taiwo whose shop was completely razed down as a result of the overzealousness of naval officers in the area.
The group also alleged that the pharmaceutical shop of the victim valued at about N1.5 million was also destroyed.
The group said it was regrettable that the state government did not take any action since the incident happened.
It said for the sake of posterity, it aims to correct the false narrative sold to the state government by some individuals on the matter.
“We can independently confirm that Mrs Taiwo uses that shop as both accommodation and business after she lost her residence to the flood that overwhelmed Igbokoda in April 2019.
“In the same breath, we wish to clarify that the statement credited to Major General John Enenche, Defence Media Operations(DMO) is not only wrong but an attempt to cheat Mrs Taiwo, who is a mother of three.”
The IAF, while picking holes in the comments of Major General Enenche, observed that the defence put together by the navy does not add up.
“On the contrary, we visited the scene, took video recordings of the remnants of the burnt shop and can confirm the shop had no back door. We are at an austere period where the government is giving palliatives to citizens, we do not expect the Nigerian Navy officials to be complicit in the destruction of properties in the midst of a ravaging COVID-19. In the spirit of fairness, we believe Mrs Taiwo Menukuro deserves a fair hearing on this matter.
“We plead with the government to set up an independent judicial commission of enquiry to look into this matter and ascertain the veracity of the claims of the poor woman with a view to mitigating the economic hardship imposed on her family by the alleged arson,” the group added.